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Tag Archives: photomaton

Yes, My Heart Belongs To Daddy

January 5, 2012
Vintage Photobooth
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Imagine if we were all able to strike such a stylish pose in an instant? It isn’t surprising that this beautiful young woman had that skill, as she is Jean Willes, an American actor who appeared in over 60 films and numerous TV shows between 1934 and 1975.

Her films included No Time for Sergeants in 1958, Invasion of the Body Snatchers in 1956, Elmer Gantry in 1960 and Gypsy in 1962. In 1956 she played opposite Clark Gable in The King and Four Queens. Although not a top box office name Jean seems to have had a very good career.

Willes’s second husband was American NFL football player Gerard Cowhig to whom she sent the, very cutely addressed, valentine card, below. Jean died in 1989, aged 65.

I was thrilled to get both items at a bargain price, thanks to the Or Best Offer option that is sometimes seen on listings at everybody’s favourite, online, garage sale. Still it is sad that items such as these end up in the public domain. Jean had a son but maybe no grandchildren to whom these could have been passed?

A still from Poseidon

A PR photo for a Three Stooges short.

Could These Be Pics Of The Same Man?

January 2, 2012
Found Photobooth Photos
10 Comments

I found the above strip of photos at Brixton Tube, London in 1992. I could see why it was thrown away and my heart broke for the poor, seemingly cross-eyed, bugger.

Being totally obsessed with all things photobooth, I often trawl through images that other people have posted online. Tumblr is a great place for a bit of a browse.  Looking at Is this you? a brilliant page on that site, I found the photos, below. I’d swear it was the same guy. Sure he is older, balder, and his eyes haven’t crossed. I think most of the rest of him matches. Anyone else see a resemblance?

Is this you? often asks that very question of the viewer but there is no way to contact the publisher to ask him where he found his pics. If any of them were me, how could I let him know?! He seems to be based in the UK, which is a good start, but that is all I can discover.

Happy New Year!

January 1, 2012
Vintage Photobooth
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With party hats and cheeky glints in their eyes, this lovely older couple look to me to be celebrating something. Was it the arrival of a new year?  These undated photos were taken in a photomatic photobooth at the Hotel Morton – “Rich in the things that make people happy”- in Atlantic City, USA, probably in the late 1940s or early 1950s.

This photo, the third in the series was also taken at the Hotel Morton, on a different day but, no doubt, on the same visit.

According to the postcard, below, the Hotel Morton was noted for its homelike atmosphere and excellent cuisine. It was centrally located and close to beaches, the Boardwalk and the Steel Pier. The hotel was placed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Atlantic County, New Jersey on July 15, 1977 and then inexplicably demolished  around 1985.  The site is now occupied by the Trump Taj Mahal, a casino. Ah, progress!

Hotel Morton Circa 1945

Printing on the back of each photo.

Merry Christmas, Peace and Goodwill To All

December 23, 2011
Digital Photobooth Images
2 Comments

For my friend Rick’s birthday, I used this same booth photo to create a personalised greeting card to send him my best wishes.  I learned quite a bit during that exercise, so decided to once again have a bit of digital manipulation fun using only Preview and the limited tools it offers.

Wishing everyone a very happy holiday season. See you again in the new year.

 

Dogs Love Photobooths! – Errm, Maybe Not…

December 22, 2011
My Family in Photobooths
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I have had my dingo-labrador cross, Snowy Moriarty, for 6 and a half years but have only recently taken him for his first photobooth shoot. When I was a puppy raiser for the Guide Dog Association, it was much easier to slip into a booth with a pup, as they were allowed into any store or shopping complex. Smuggling a 30 kilogram dog into a forbidden area takes some guts and determination!

One has to admit posing for a camera, in a confined space, with frequent whispered admonitions to “be quiet”, “sit still” and “cooperate!” is not a dog’s favourite pass-time.

Having bravely suffered the experience in two old chemical booths, Snowy said he would not do it again unless I could find a booth that was working properly. Everyone’s a critic!! On our way home we stopped at a digital machine. He was much happier with those results!

Mike Fiveson Photobooth Time Machine

December 21, 2011
Photobooth Time Machines
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Meet Mike Fiveson and his family. I have never met Mr Fiveson but I think I would like him very much. He replies with care and frankness to all the comments made on his blog. He answers emails, makes kind offers and fulfills his promises.

These photos represent a snapshot of Mike’s life from the early 1970s to mid 1980s. He is pictured with his wife, Judy and son, Matt. Fabulously, in January, Judy and Mike will be celebrating 41 years of married life.

Mike has a heartfelt and sometimes very touching blog. Located in the USA he tells tales of his daily life and travels, his past and present.  A mutual interest in photography helped to spark our friendship. How I love the internet!

Mike writes, “There is one  picture of me in 1972 when, after serving in the navy for 4 years, I grew my hair some. The strip with Matt was taken in maybe 1984 because he looks to be about 5 or 6. The ones with just Judy and I go back to the 70’s, before Matt was born.”

One member of Mike’s family is missing from these photobooth souvenirs. One day, I hope a certain Golden Retriever named Pumpkin will sneak into a booth, email me some scans and complete the story!

Check out Mike’s blog here.

How Many People Can You Fit In A Photobooth?

December 20, 2011
Found Photobooth Photos
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How many people can you fit in a photobooth? Four.  But do not be surprised when the results are not what you were expecting.

This strip was found at Luna Park in St Kilda, Melbourne, on the 25th of November 2000.

Vintage Photomaton Advertisement From Brisbane

December 19, 2011
Photobooths in Print
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Photobooths were invented by Anatol Josepho in 1925.  They were an immediate success in his adopted home of New York City. When he sold the invention in 1927 it rapidly spread across the USA and the world.  As early as 1929 advertisements like these were appearing in many newspapers around Australia. It is a surprise to me that the Photomaton company found its way here so quickly.

In the 1970s it took more than two years to get Doctor Who episodes to Oz, yet in the 1920s, this lumbering hunk of technology arrived in faster time. And faster time is what this machine promises. Six perfect portraits, six different poses, in six minutes.  In the days when most photographers were struggling to get photos back to clients within one week, to wait only six minutes was nothing short of miraculous.

“If you are one of those people who do not take a good photograph, try the Photomaton way. They are natural and lifelike and they do not fade.” I can attest to that. Having numerous photobooth examples from the 20s and 30s which have lasted better than family photos from the 1980s, this was no idle boast.

This advertisement, for booths at two Woolworths stores in Brisbane, was published in the Brisbane Courier, on the 9th of October 1929.

My apologies for the poor quality of the image, which was taken directly from the Trove online resources website, of the Australian National Library.

An Early Morning Swim – January 1996

December 17, 2011
Photobooth 45 Year Project (Archive)
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photobooth01-1996BeachEdited

January 1996, Luna Park, Melbourne

After an early morning swim at St Kilda beach.

This strip is part of the series Photobooth 41 Year Project. You can see all the posts that document the series by clicking here.

Photomatic Driver Identity

December 17, 2011
Vintage Photobooth
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This photomatic photobooth picture was offered for sale as an “old chauffeur’s badge” identity photo. It was said to be for a driver who “had to have their photo in their bus”.

Firstly it is not a badge. Like most photomatic photos there is a pop-out cardboard stand on the back, no pin. Hmm. Are bus drivers actually referred to as chauffeurs? Is this a bus driver’s uniform or a chauffeur’s uniform? Is it really a form of identification without a name or any other details attached?

Sure, the wear and tear suggests this picture may have been on display somewhere for an extended period, but there are many other explanations, other than the one proposed by the vendor. I have seen the same wear and tear on photos of lovers, rakes and dolly birds, pictures unlikely to have been used as ID.

This could have been a simple love token, made by a happy man for his lady.  Maybe it was a spur of the moment purchase. Was it made when a booth presented itself unexpectedly, on taking a different route home one evening?  Maybe it was a planned gift presented with a bunch of flowers?  Or could it simply have been a personal souvenir to celebrate a first or last day at work? Whatever the case, given its condition, it was proudly displayed somewhere.

As with most of my photos, I’d say the circumstances behind this picture will remain unknown. The photo is thin, there is rust on the frame, the surface is battered, faded and dull. Yet one thing radiates as brightly as on the day it was taken – a glorious, broad-mouthed smile. I love it!