Undated. Possibly 1966.

Undated. With unidentified friend or sibling.

1968.

These are the first three strips of photos from 14 strips that came from the USA as one lot. They document the changing face and life of a girl called Becky over a period of 10 or more years.

Becky loves to pull a face and muck about in photobooths with her friends and family. In some pictures her hair is straightened; in others wild and curly. You will enjoy getting to know her and watching her growth into adulthood.

The top two strips are undated but the lower has written on the back “Me and Robin, probably in the summer of 1968. I can’t remember exactly when.” The photos of Robin are missing. Robin, being the male spelling of the name, is possibly a younger brother who appears in future photos.

From information on other photos in the series I have worked out that Becky was about 13 years old when the third strip of pictures was taken. I guess she was two years younger in the first set and a year or so younger in the second.

More coming soon.

Mullet Dude Loves His Look

January 23, 2013

Vintage Photobooth

8 Comments

I laugh every time I look at this strip. Mr Mullet seems very in love with himself. From the deliberate, alternating poses, I think it is his luxuriant face-fuzz that he is out to capture in all its glory.

It is quite surprising that he let go of this set of photos. My guess is he gave them to a girl he fancied and she didn’t value him or the photos enough to keep them.

I am not sure where these photos originated, probably the USA. I’d say from the colours and the type of booth strip the photos were taken in the 1990s.

LA Times – US Peace Talks, Bow Tie and Cigar

January 18, 2013

Vintage Photobooth

12 Comments

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.

A Vampire Kiss?

January 16, 2013

Vintage Photobooth

14 Comments

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!

Patsy Loves Her Daddy

January 14, 2013

Vintage Photobooth

4 Comments

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.

Cross Dressing In Top Hat And Pipe -1930s Photobooth Snap

January 12, 2013

Vintage Photobooth

17 Comments

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.

Bouffant Bat-Girl And Her Twin Loopy-Leopard

January 5, 2013

Vintage Photobooth

10 Comments

The one that got away.

The one that I bought.

This wonderful young woman, Drene, appeared in numerous photos that were recently for sale on Ebay. I tried, to the extremes of my finances, to get the top photo, but missed out. I was luckier for number two.

Isn’t she a 60s Goth-Girl stunner? Did they even have Goths back then? I often look back on my youthful conservative style and wish I had had more courage to be different. This girl had no such inhibitions.

The photo I bought has “To Adele love Drene 1/11/1964” written on the back. It comes from the USA.

Mutton Chops and Smiley Man

January 3, 2013

Vintage Photobooth

11 Comments

Great faces on these two, eh? They must have been great friends to squeeze into a booth together. I wonder if they made the strip for their wives whilst on a trip to the city? They certainly look like country blokes.

This photo comes from the USA and is undated.