Passport Photo Service

A never-before-seen archive of 300 celebrity portraits from London’s iconic Passport Photo Service, where actors, writers, musicians, athletes, and other famous faces posed for their travel document photographs.

Perfect for the photo historian, London nostalgic, or celebrity buff, Passport Photo Service’s design is an homage to the art of the passport, as well as the studio’s photo wallets that held developed prints, complete with a leatherette cover and a smart red stamp. Filled with a wonderfully eclectic assortment of subjects, this book is a breath of fresh air in the age of tightly controlled imagery. This volume charismatically yet emphatically celebrates the importance of vernacular photography and the story of a family-run business, revealing how images even made for travel documents can still be powerful portraits.