This photo was found by my cousin Krissie at a Homebase store in New Southgate, London. She picked it up at 6.30 pm on 21 January 2004, exactly 9 years ago today.
Over the years Krissie has given me many booth photos that she has found including a set that she found floating in a river. Thanks Cuz!
The Los Angeles Times news of the day obviously had great significance to this pair, as they chose to place it so prominently in this strip of photographs. The newspaper was the main reason I was attracted to this set of pics but I also loved the character and demeanor of the hatted, cigar-chomping lead player in this story.
I sent this photo to my friend Michael from Mike’s Look At Life for help interpreting it. I thought Mike, who is a devoted commenter on this blog, might be able to shed some light on the front page headline. In Australia we have free access to old newspaper archives through Trove, a database managed by the National Library of Australia. I thought there would be a similar free resource in the USA but I hadn’t been able to find it from here.
Mike tells me that it is a user pays system for the archives in America, and proffered the following theory about the paper. I liked his theory so much, I have left my research at that.
Mike says “I believe that headline reads ‘Russians bid for US peace talks’. Based on that, as well as the hat, and cigar, it looks 1950-ish to me and that would then connect it to the Korean War. Pure speculation on my part but since we never had a war with Russia it would have to be another war.”
If the headline referred to a hope for the end of the Korean War, then no wonder these two were excited to record the event.
February 1998, Southland Shopping Centre, Melbourne
Here is my sister Sue, who now lives in Dublin, and me, after a shopping trip to get our nails done and buy cosmetics. Manicures have been very rare in my life, so I am glad I have one commemorated!
This is another Polaroid format photobooth photo. I haven’t seen one of these booths in over 10 years. The little image on the bottom of the Polaroid is from another strip of photobooth stickers from a different outing. I think Sue kept the rest.
This strip is part of the series Photobooth 41 Year Project. You can see all the posts that document the series by clicking here.
The girl in the top right hand position looks like she is going to take a vampire bite out the front girl’s neck. Then she realises she is being “watched”, changes her mind and puts on her best innocent expression.
This undated strip came from the USA and has 1970s written all over the hairstyles!
I submitted a photo to the strangely interesting blog Toemail. Here it is.
31 January 1998, Highpoint Shopping Centre, Melbourne
This was taken on the same day and in the same booth as an earlier post where I was photographed with my friend, Holly.
This strip is part of the series Photobooth 41 Year Project. You can see all the posts that document the series by clicking here.
Some older photobooths produced a strip of photos in a horizontal, rather than vertical format. It is rare to find a complete strip like this.
The writing on the back says Lots of Love to my Daddy, Patsy and These pictures were taken of Pat just as she is. We were shopping and had no way of dressing up for the picture. At least that is what I think it says.
In the third picture there is a ghostly “mummy” hand pointing the direction in which she wants Patsy to look. Given she is barely more than a baby, Patsy did very well with her posing.
The strip came from the United States and as you can see is undated. Please click on either image to see a larger version.
I didn’t have a post scheduled for today but when this gem arrived in the mail yesterday I couldn’t wait
to share it.
When I first saw the picture, in a poor scan on Ebay, I assumed the subject was a man. On closer inspection, I have considered the possibility that this is a woman in drag.
The somewhat theatrical mien of the sitter, the subject’s effeminacy, soft features and no signs of facial growth are a start towards this assumption. Additionally the combination of top hat, pipe, glasses and a business suit seem to me to be caricature features of a male of this period, which I estimate to be the 1930s, rather than an ensemble worn at the time.
If it were a man dressed for a night out on the town wouldn’t he be in formal wear? I never saw Fred Astaire or anyone else for that matter, in a top hat without white tie and tails. There is also something about the top hat that suggests to me that it is nothing more than a costumers prop. The brim seems too narrow and thin and the silky sheen of most top hats is missing.
It could of course be a very young man dressed for a play or a fancy dress party.
Anyone else have an opinion? Please let me know by leaving a comment.
Approximate original size relative to the larger scan.
31 January 1998, Highpoint Shopping Centre, Melbourne
This is another photo in my series of photobooth photos that began in 1973 and continues to this day. This is me with Holly. Holly was a lovely friend with whom I lost touch. I miss her.
This strip is part of the series Photobooth 41 Year Project. You can see all the posts that document the series by clicking here.
I recently did a post about Meg from De Quelle Planète Est-Tu? and her love of photobooths. Through her I found another photobooth enthusiast in Paris who has blogged a list and map of locations of booths in that famous city.
The strip, above, is from her post You’re on (not so) Candid Camera! which is where you will find all the details.
Thank you to Sylvia for permission to use her images.
Photobooth Journal 