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American Photobooth Paperback – February 17, 2008
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A fascinating history of an American institution that includes an extraordinary collection of photobooth images.
“That a perceptive, dedicated, and sensitive artist like Näkki Goranin has rescued from oblivion so many amazing self-portraits created by amateurs confronting themselves in the fleeting privacy of humble photobooths is yet another miracle for which we can be grateful.”―from the foreword by David Haberstich Generally relegated to the realm of kitsch, the history and cultural importance of the photobooth has long been overlooked. Here, Näkki Goranin documents the invention, technological evolution, and commercial history of the photobooth with extensive illustrations culled from twenty-five years of collecting. Complementing this history is a powerful collection of heartbreaking, funny, and absolutely beautiful photobooth images. These often solitary figures―seeking freedom, confession, a thrill―are evocative of a lost time and place. Haberstich writes, “For anyone who assumes that photobooth pictures are perfunctory, utilitarian records at best, the range of emotions and moods portrayed by the subjects of [this] collection is a revelation.”- Print length224 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherW. W. Norton & Company
- Publication dateFebruary 17, 2008
- Dimensions8.6 x 0.7 x 10 inches
- ISBN-100393330761
- ISBN-13978-0393330762
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- Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company; 1st edition (February 17, 2008)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 224 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0393330761
- ISBN-13 : 978-0393330762
- Item Weight : 2.15 pounds
- Dimensions : 8.6 x 0.7 x 10 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,796,765 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,846 in Photography Collections & Exhibitions (Books)
- #5,944 in Photography History
- #6,941 in Photograpy Equipment & Techniques
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It all began with the 1894 invention of a Parisian vending machine. Once the concept of the coin-operated vending machine was embraced by an evolving popular culture, these booths became a favorite pastime, "the ultimate pedestrian art". Over the years the concept developed, along with techniques to streamline the process, photo strips available to customers for twenty-five cents. A number of entrepreneurs contributed to this emerging art form that could be found in storefronts, department stores and virtually any place one of these booths would fit. The technology progressed with the times, from a "plumbless" machine that no longer required a water supply to various chemical paper treatments that allowed quick-drying, cost-efficient results.
Over the years, booths were refined redesigned and updated under a series of names: Photomaton, Phototeria, Mutoscope Photographics, Photo-Me USA, Tru-Photo and Photo-Dome, through a number of innovative family-owned enterprises appearing everywhere, including the Depression. By the 1970s color strips arrived; by the 80s chemical photobooths were nearly phased out. The first art promoter to use the photobooth, Andy Warhol made the images part of the American artistic lexicon. But for those of us who ever posed with a friend, inserted a quarter and received a strip of four pictures, this book is a reminder of simpler days. Although "this American tradition stands on the brink of extinction". Goranin's wonderful collection offers a trip to the past, from the early 20th century, page after page of smiling faces hoping to capture a moment in a fast-moving world. Luan Gaines/ 2008.
Treat yourself to this book, and allow yourself to succumb to the endless stories inside - those that are documented, and those that you will find yourself making up.



