Image: Getty Villa, Los Angeles
Photo booth portraits, once a novelty of mechanical photography and now closely associated with the digital selfie, are the subject of a new cultural-history feature from Getty News. Titled ‘The Art of Photo Booths,’ the article examines how the familiar strip of self-portraits developed, changed appearance and continued to circulate across different forms of visual culture.
The feature begins with the photo booth image as a seasonal and social object: a quick, inexpensive portrait often valued for its ability to produce a flattering likeness. It asks where these images came from and whether photo booths remain relevant in a digital age increasingly dominated by smartphone cameras and instantly shareable photographs.
According to the feature’s summary, the history of booth photography includes “shaky beginnings,” subsequent vintage revivals and a range of later trends. The article also considers the relationship between photo booth pictures and the modern selfie, treating the booth not simply as a machine for making souvenirs but as part of a longer history of informal, self-directed portraiture.
The Getty’s accompanying image is a detail from ‘Twenty photo booth portraits,’ dated about 1930–1950. The works are gelatin silver prints in the Getty Museum collection, given by Sharon and Michael Blasgen and Michael Wilson. The caption identifies the copyright status as undetermined. The group provides a historical counterpoint to contemporary photo strips: multiple small portraits arranged as a record of changing expressions, poses and encounters with the camera.
The feature’s preview also points to several forms of photo booth culture, including vintage booths, Japanese purikura and portraits associated with Andy Warhol. It directs readers toward places where photo booth pictures can still be made, including the Photomatica Photo Booth Museum in Los Angeles, where visitors can produce their own strips of self-portraits. These references place the traditional booth between museum history, popular culture and present-day participation.
No exhibition or event is announced in connection with the feature. Instead, ‘The Art of Photo Booths’ is presented as an overview of a photographic form that has moved from early mechanical experimentation through collectible vintage imagery and themed contemporary experiences to its influence on everyday digital self-representation. The Getty News feature was published on August 28, 2026.
