30 Intimate Photobooth Portraits of Couples From the Mid-20th Century

During the mid-20th century (roughly 1940s–1960s), the coin-operated photobooth became a cultural phenomenon, offering couples a unique and spontaneous way to document their relationships. Found in train stations, amusement parks, and drugstores, these small, curtained spaces offered a fleeting moment of privacy and intimacy away from the gaze of society, which was particularly significant for expressing affection.

The resulting photo strips—often black-and-white and printed instantly—were cheap, candid keepsakes. Unlike formal studio portraits, these sequential images captured genuine, playful, or deeply affectionate moments, such as shared kisses, silly faces, or wartime sweethearts capturing a final memory before separation.

For many, the photobooth was a vital “safe space” to memorialize their love, cementing its role as a key artifact of American youth and dating culture. These photobooth portraits remind us that love, at its most genuine, needs no stage or filter — just a fleeting moment, a shared smile, and the quiet click of a camera.