Author: Josepho, Anatol
Title: Two Photographs by the Inventor of the Photo Booth, Anatol Josepho (One of Them Signed by the Photographer)
Description: Shanghai and Mukden, 1921. Softcover. Two, original, studio photographs, albumen and silver gelatin, n. d. (ca 1921); the first mounted on two overlapping card stock sheets, photo 7 3/4 x 5 1/2, card stock 8 3/4 x 6 1/2 and 12 3/4 x 10 1/4; light wear to edges of the photo; larger card stock sheet with a few chips to edges; signed in ink by Josepho below the photograph. The second photo mounted on a studio, card stock folder; very minor wear, near fine condition; folder with a few scattered spots of foxing to lower margin and a penciled-in name to front wrap verso. "Josepho Studio, Mukden," in English and Chinese, below the photograph and on the front wrap. Anatol Josepho (1894 - 1980), birth name Anatol Josephewitz, was born in a wealthy jeweler's family in Omsk, Siberia. From a young age, he became fascinated with images of the American Wild West and began taking photographs with a Brownie camera. In 1909, at just 15, he attended classes at a local technical institute and managed to land a photo studio job. In the next several years, Josepho traveled to Budapest and New York, but failed to find a photography gig and returned to Omsk in 1920, just to find it pillaged by the Red Army. He left for China and by 1921 he owned a successful studio in Shanghai, known as "The Paris of the East," and after that, in other cities as well. While still in China, Anatol began experimenting and drawing blueprints and formulas for the mechanical and chemical components of what would become the photo booth. He landed in New York in early 1925, with $30 and his blueprints, and managed to raise $11 000, in order to build his prototype. Josepho debuted his invention, called the "Photomaton," in September of 1925. The photo booth charged 25 cents for a strip of 8 photos, developed in 8 minutes. The idea of having photographs of good quality, taken automatically and anonymously, caused an uproar of unimaginable proportions, attendants had to be hired to control the eager crowds, which stretched for miles, and the result was 300 000 customers in less than 6 months. Within 20 years, there were more than 30 000 photo booths in just the US alone. In 1927, founder of the American Red Cross Henry Morganthau paid Josepho 1 million dollars for the Photomaton machines and the U.S. patent rights, while the latter still retained his entitlement to royalties for his invention. The two current photographs were from Josepho's pre-Photomaton, "Chinese" period, while he was successfully operating studios in Shanghai and Mukden. The first photo, with the photographer's signature, depicted a shriner of the Afifi Temple in Shanghai, in full regalia, and the second photo was of a beautiful lady, "Gala Lebedov" penciled in, taken at the Josepho Studio in Mukden. Ill.: 0. 2.

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