Photobooths, which were introduced in the 1920’s, when strips cost 25 cents, are not created equal. Those with black and white film are the most desirable among clubgoers and the Hollywood elite, and they must be “dip ‘n’ dunks,” as they are known in the business, which were manufactured before the early 80’s or so.

 New York’s first photobooth, or “photomaton,” had been introduced in 1926, and the four-for-a-quarter photobooth strip quickly became a familiar part of the American cultural landscape. For Warhol, the photobooth picture was both technically and aesthetically irresistible: the process was fast and automatic, and it yielded a standardized head-and-shoulders shot marked by strong, flash-lit contrast, which translated well into a silkscreen print.

Warhol directed his sitters to a variety of photobooth locations in midtown Manhattan, sometimes accompanying them but often leaving them to their own devices. Alone in the booth, sitters often improvised outrageous performances before the camera, with the changing expressions and gestures conveying a sense of rudimentary narrative to the resulting four exposures.  [via Photobooth.net]

Andy Warhol Screen Tests

Nico + Chocolate = W I N