Did you ever wonder what it was like before smartphones and selfie sticks ever existed? It must have been hard for people to take portraits of themselves without having someone else paint them. Now, if you want a self-portrait done, all you need to do is pull your smartphone out of your pocket and snap a few pictures. You don’t even have to develop those pictures because you can see them instantly on your screen. From there, you can share these pictures with people from anywhere in the world by just a few taps with your finger.
However, the idea of selfies or taking pictures of yourself did not start with the smartphone. It started when the photo booth was invented. This was truly a revolutionary invention because it allowed people to just go inside of a booth in public and get a few quick pictures snapped of them. This may not have been as convenient as snapping a selfie from anywhere with your phone, but it did allow people to express themselves as they were going about their day.
Although the photo booth itself was invented in the 1890s, it didn’t become universally accepted by the public until the 1920s. That was when the Photomata was created by Anatol Josepho. Ever since then, people have been taking photos of themselves using big machines like photo booths. About 90 years later, the photo booth has been reduced to a small device that fits in your pocket and can be used anywhere.
Many famous celebrities in the 1930s through the 1950s had used photo booths to express themselves. Those who look at their pictures can interpret what the expressions on their faces were supposed to mean.
Miles Davis, aged 9.
Yves Tanguy
Mel Ferrer, Audrey Hepburn, Truman Capote
Elvis Presley
Marguerite Duras
Luis Bunuel
Andre Breton
Rene Magritte
Robert Johnson
Marilyn Monroe at age 12 in 1938.
