Stunning Vintage Photobooth Selfies from the 1920s Reveal the Playful Side of the Lost Generation

Ely Bulnes • Writer and Editor

Oct 13, 2025 11:00 AM EDT

Before front-facing cameras and Snapchat filters, there were photo booths; they were the OG way to take a selfie. For decades, these little curtained boxes have been common features in train stations, boardwalks, and mall corners. By the 2000s, they'd become more of a novelty (or, for some of us, a MacBook app we'd spend hours playing with). Now, they've evolved into wedding must-haves complete with props and ring lights.

But long before all of that, people in the 1920s were already stepping inside of those tiny booths to snap their own keepsakes. And these photos show a side of the Roaring Twenties that you don't often see. You might associate portraits from the era with stiffly-posed, sepia-toned photoshoots, but these women are grinning, laughing, and striking playful poses for the camera. Sure, a few still hold that signature 1920s composure, but most look wonderfully human and modern. A century later, we're still doing the same thing every time we fix our hair, tilt our heads, and freeze a moment in time with our phones. These photo booth "selfies" from the 20s prove that the instinct to document ourselves is totally timeless.

I know people from a century ago experienced the same range of emotions as we do now, but rarely is it captured on camera. These photos are so incredibly humanizing; I can imagine hanging out with these ladies on a girl's night, and I'm sure they would have been a hoot!
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