Archive

Monthly Archives: November 2012

Series of German Gent

November 15, 2012
Vintage Photobooth
8 Comments

Emulsion is peeling from the surface; there are cracks and tears in the paper. Although this photobooth picture is in very poor condition, as part of a series of photos of a German man over a lifetime, it is important to me to preserve as it shows him at him youngest.

I was in two minds whether to include so many non-photobooth photos here at Photobooth Journal. I would normally link the booth pic to another post of the rest of the photos on my other blog at Mugshots and Miscellaneous. However, I was inspired by a post at Ian Phillips’s illustration site of photos of one young man through various sittings and in various fashionable attire. Whether the images cover a long period of time, as shown here, or a much shorter period there is some fascination in following more than one moment of a person’s life, sliced out of time by a photograph.

Ian Phillips also has another fabulous vintage photo blog called Swimming in Pictures that I highly recommend for a squiz.

Photobooth News From 1960

November 14, 2012
Photobooth News
2 Comments

There is something very Mission Impossible about planting a bomb in a photobooth.  Check out the links to photobooth.net (below) to see how photobooths featured in the popular 1960s TV show.

http://www.photobooth.net/movies_tv/tvshows.php?tvshowID=34
http://www.photobooth.net/movies_tv/tvshows.php?tvshowID=35
http://www.photobooth.net/movies_tv/tvshows.php?tvshowID=103

Saddam Era Military Identity Card – A Celebration of Movember

November 12, 2012
Vintage Photobooth
4 Comments

I bought this item under the title Original Saddam Era Military Identity Card From Iraq. Not being able to read the arabic script, there is no easy way for me to ascertain whether that statement is true. Regardless of its authenticity, it is an unusual item that shows the wide international usage and popularlity of the photobooth.

The fact that the gent in the booth is sporting a fabulous tache also makes for a great means of celebrating and promoting Movember. This charity fundraising event started its meteoric rise to international acclaim in a pub in Adelaide, South Australia in 1999. So you Mo Bros out there, how is yours growing and which charity are you supporting this year?

Friendship In A Photobooth

November 9, 2012
Vintage Photobooth
15 Comments

The lady on the left seems more familiar with the photobooth process than her friend, who appears to be struggling with where to look and how to pose. In the last frame the realisation of the absurdity of her cluelessness takes full effect in an outburst of mutual laughter, making a delightful record of shared experience and friendship.

The quality of this strip isn’t great. It has either been left exposed to direct sunlight for an extended period or was not washed properly in the machine during processing. This item came from the USA and appears to date from the 1950s

Photomaton

November 8, 2012
Random Posts
3 Comments

A vintage photobooth machine in action. This picture shows a booth installed in a shop, that appears to be a chemist or some type of general store. You can see examples of the types of options one had to get a booth photo enlarged and the white coated operator who directed the sitters to move and pose at different angles for each shot.

Sailors

November 6, 2012
Vintage Photobooth
6 Comments

There is no identification on the back of this small, standard sized photobooth photo. It came from the USA via Ebay, which makes me assume these are US Navy boys. I think it could come from pretty much any time from WW2, right up to the 1970s as this type of uniform seems to have changed little over that period. My one worry about designating the clothes US Navy kit, is that these collars do not have the stripes that are on all the other examples I can find online.

God Must Bless Her

November 5, 2012
Vintage Photobooth
21 Comments

What an extraordinary face and one hell of a “do”. This pic is from the USA and looks to me to date from the late 1960s.

Can’t make out what the writing on the back is about. I can read 2361 Lake but the rest of it I cannot read. Is it an address?

Boy in Hat – Another Mini-Mobster

November 3, 2012
Mini-Mobsters, Vintage Photobooth
5 Comments

Like the similar photo that I published on 31 October, this 110 x 80 mm photobooth photograph is probably an enlargement made in a photographic store that had in-shop photobooths as part of their business.

There is no connection between this photo and the other in terms of provenance. However they are very similar in terms of scale, subject and outfit. Both boys are wearing uncommonly adult hats, heavy overcoats and formal neckwear. Photographer and blogger Alessandro Ciapanna commented that often photo studios kept props of all sizes on hand to lend to the subjects/customers for the shoot. Initially I thought he meant the hats only, but maybe the coats and ties could also have been props?

Alessandro also commented on the other post that “he looks like a small mobster”. Thus the title of this post was born. One or two other pics may well be added to this blog in future, to a new series called Mini-Mobsters.

Still unsure what type of hat this is despite searching in Google images for Homburg, Trilby etc …

Photobooth Found Photo 1998

November 2, 2012
Found Photobooth Photos
2 Comments

This strip of photos was rescued from a rubbish bin beside a now defunct photobooth at Luna Park, Melbourne on the 6th of November 1998.