diff --git a/db/migrations/20260901225726_normalize_artwork_last_failure.sql b/db/migrations/20260901225726_normalize_artwork_last_failure.sql
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6de12e757
--- /dev/null
+++ b/db/migrations/20260901225726_normalize_artwork_last_failure.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+-- +goose Up
+-- 20260819204637 added last_failure with DEFAULT '[]', so every row already in the table got a
+-- non-empty value. That is how a give-up is now told apart from a definitive "no image", which
+-- would report every pre-existing absent row as failed.
+UPDATE item_artwork SET last_failure = '' WHERE last_failure = '[]';
+
+-- +goose Down
+-- Irreversible: a genuine give-up and a backfilled default are indistinguishable once normalized.
+SELECT 1;