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Vintage Photobooth

Raymond Parker and Daddy (Sometimes) – 1961 to July 1966

April 6, 2018
Raymond Parker, Vintage Photobooth
14 Comments

1 December 1961

This is a long, extraordinary series of photos of a young American, Raymond Parker, from babyhood in 1961 to . . . well, we shall see. Many of the photos are dated but none indicate where they were taken. Some include a, mostly hidden, father, but generally Ray is on his own. There is a progression through his childhood and through changing fashions. There is one strip of a lone woman included with this group but no sign of a mother at any stage.

I do love a series of booth photos showing a person at different times in their life. This group is my largest collection of such photos.

Undated. Probably 1962

1963

21 March 1964

28 April 1966

4 July 1966

9 July 1966

Rosy Cheeks

April 4, 2018
Vintage Photobooth
33 Comments

Late 1930s, USA

Some hand coloured photographs are so finely and skillfully done, that even with them unframed and in your hands, you will need to catch the light in a very specific way to be able to tell it from a photo taken with colour film.

Not so here! This very amateurish and uneven job has left this poor woman looking like a cross between Raggedy Ann and a Flowerpot Man. Having said that, it is her woefully unflattering hairstyle as much as the colour used, that makes her coiffure reminiscent of Bill and Ben’s flowerpot hats. With her exaggerated rag-doll pink cheeks and parts of her teeth, as gaily coloured as her lips, one wonders why she, or a descendant, felt inclined to keep this photo long enough for it to find its way to an online auction site in the twenty-tens.

If you look carefully you can see a misdirected splodge of the same light blue ink used for her dress, on her right eye. Perhaps this lady had beautiful pale blue eyes? Perhaps she wore this pastel shade frequently in order to highlight their dainty colour?

She was not a lady without some money behind her. Her pendant is costume jewellery most certainly, but bold, stylish and fashionable for the time. The pin-tucked bodice of her dress shows complex workmanship, as do the top of the sleeves. She appears to be an, at least moderately, affluent woman who was conscious of style and presentation.

Therefore, one wonders why she decided to forego the services of a professional photo colourist? They would definitely have produced a more flattering finished product. Perhaps she was so enamoured with the idea of being a home artist, that she was eager to try out her skills regardless of the outcome? Perhaps she was thrilled with this wee artwork?

Online, there are frequently listed for sale some very amusing examples of the rogue amateurs’ practice. The worst and funniest examples go for high prices, as do those of an accidental, avant garde, artistic sensibility.

It was a popular hobby to colour ones own photographs when cameras and film became cheap enough to be within reach of anyone. There were many different methods used and a plethora of kits available, like the two examples below.

The two photos, above, were taken from https://www.photomemorabilia.co.uk.

Two Freds

March 26, 2018
Vintage Photobooth
34 Comments

Germany 1930s

The way they have parted their hair, the short back and sides cuts, and the style of their Black Tie formal wear, puts these dapper gentlemen and this photo firmly in the 1930s. They remind me of the gorgeous, super talented dancer of that era Mr Frederick Austerlitz. (See photo, below)

The expression on the gentleman on the left’s face suggests to me that these two may not have been purely friends. His gaze, plus his lips pursed in a gentle and knowing smile, suggest deep familiarity with and a strong admiration of his companion. His friend’s attention is occupied by someone else outside of the booth, but his closeness to his partner is evidenced in his relaxed demeanor in the confined space of the booth.

As occasionally happened in the USA at this time, this booth was probably in the foyer of a dance venue or club of some kind. If the gentlemen looked this smart one can only imagine how wonderful the gowns and jewellery of the ladies might have been. The dance floor must’ve been a riot of moving colours and spangles!

What happened to these two during WW2? Were they in thrall to the machinations of Nazi Germany or victims of it? I hope they escaped the worst of it and lived long and prosperous lives.

Mr Frederick Austerlitz, better known as Fred Astaire.

And Now For The Kiss

March 24, 2018
Vintage Photobooth
10 Comments

USA 1960s

I just found this. I’m sorry it is not a clean scan! I don’t own this photo but it is a sweet continuation of the New Teeth story, so I hope you will forgive the quality. It was taken on the same day as the last photo in the series and is a fitting conclusion to a little love story.

Mystery On A Blackboard

March 13, 2018
Vintage Photobooth
43 Comments

Above are two beautiful young ladies, most probably sisters, posing on a day out with an unseen grown-up. If the collars are anything to go by, they look to be wearing the same style of white shirt. The younger child, in front, is wearing a hand knitted cardigan over the untucked shirt and her sister is wearing what looks to be a velvet jacket with a very fine line of nice shiny buttons.

Below, on a different day the elder girl again poses in a photobooth. This time she is holding up a sign. I love the slightly quizzical look on her face as she looks directly at the camera, with a slight downward tilt of her head. I am looking for help from my German speaking readers, as I have no idea what is written on the chalk slate she is holding. Maybe the language isn’t German at all? It could be a school photo but with no date on it, I doubt it. Or could it be commemorating a first day at school? If so, and if this is indeed a German photo, I would have expected her to be holding a schultüte (school cone). You can see a schultüte and read about what they are at this link.

So to my German friends, I would be very grateful if you could tell me whatever you can about these pictures.

All the photos date to around the 1930s.

New Teeth

March 11, 2018
Vintage Photobooth
30 Comments

A young man hiding a secret.

 

A bit older and no longer worried about his smile, but maybe he should have reconsidered that shirt?

 

Older still and more confident but there is something missing in his life . . .

 

It is amazing what a new set of teeth will do for a man!

 

 

Subtle Shifts

March 9, 2018
Vintage Photobooth
12 Comments

This strip is another gift from my friend Ted in the USA. Since we met through our respective blogs, Ted has been very generous in his gifts of unique and interesting booth images. I’m so grateful to him and feel a flutter of joy each time I pull out the things he has given me.

Using the clothes and hairstyles as my guide, I would guess these images date to the late 1930s or early 1940s. It is quite unusual to find a strip from this era that has not been cut into individual frames. In the early years after its invention, photobooth machines were mostly situated in shops that offered other photobooth related photography services, such as enlargements, duplicates and framing. The machines were operated by an attendant who directed the poses. Once the photos were developed and dry, they were cut and placed in an envelope for presentation to the customer. There were eight photos to a strip.

You can see that these images have been taken with the help of an operator. There is none of the random squashing-in you see in later photos when the booths were unattended. The three ladies have been carefully directed to their respective positions allowing for no part of their faces to be obscured. In the first two frames the direction was to look left, the next to look right and the final one to look ahead. Whether or not they followed the instructions is another matter! I love the subtlety of the changes in each image, particularly in the eyes. They give the pictures a lovely gentle, and warm atmosphere.

There are some lovely details in the clothing and accessories worn by these three women. The woman on the right has a magnificent brooch in the form of a butterfly or bird wings at her throat. The huge buttons on her jacket look metallic in their shine. Maybe they have a gilt finish? The lady on the left is also wearing a lovely piece of jewellery in the form of a large sparkling pendant along with a matching sparkling hair clip. The ruffled collar of the lady who is sitting in the middle could be hiding some more jewels.

Below are some links to other posts that feature photos of Ted or relate to Ted in some way. Enjoy!

My Friend Ted

Two Old Birds In A Photobooth – A short story by Ted Strutz

Ted’s Photobooth Story – A real life photobooth tale

Three-Time Academy Award Winner In A Photobooth – Another strip from Ted

Irresistible!

March 6, 2018
Vintage Photobooth
16 Comments

I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to buy this extraordinary photo. Perplexingly, no one else wanted it. Is that strange, or am I?

Umm. . . Please don’t answer that!

Cha Cha Cha!

February 27, 2018
Vintage Photobooth
8 Comments

When I first saw this strip I thought it must’ve been a mock-up for a film or advertisement. Surely these two gals couldn’t be for real? Mustn’t this strip of images be a confection made by a jaded advertising man or a prop from a bad taste buddy movie? Once I had the strip in my hand I could see it was genuine. I also found other photobooth photos online from the same venue.

These women fulfill all the bad girl stereotypes – too much makeup, too many tattoos, too many rings, too little clothing, smoking, boozing, bleaching, artificially augmented lips – oh my god I adore them! The pièce de résistance is the cast on the brunette’s arm. Happily her wrist is not too sore to allow her to chug on a bottle of beer. If it had been, we wouldn’t have seen it, as in the strip below. A flash of tattooed thigh isn’t something you generally see in a photobooth either. Another big tick, thanks ladies!

Please scroll down for more. Sadly I don’t own the other strip of the same girls.

The strips were taken at the Cha Cha Lounge in Los Angeles. Below are two of the (less impressive strips) I found on social media.

Tongue

February 23, 2018
Vintage Photobooth
17 Comments

Friday is a happy day for most, it being the last day of the working week and all, so I thought I’d share a bit of joy for you to take with you on your weekend. Here we have Maniac Girl with a Large Earring. I can imagine she was taking some photos for use with an identity card or passport and decided to make the last one a mad souvenir.

I found this unusual square format photobooth photo somewhere in the UK in 1992. Unfortunately I didn’t make any note of the location of the find. On the back it is signed and dated in magenta ink and reads 12/6/92 (12 June 1992). The name could be Mon B but that is a wild guess. What a shame that it was lost! What fun that I found it!