{"id":1406,"date":"2010-10-10T22:39:18","date_gmt":"2010-10-11T03:39:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rushmypassport.com\/blog\/?p=1406"},"modified":"2019-09-18T19:02:02","modified_gmt":"2019-09-18T19:02:02","slug":"passport-application-photos-a-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rushmypassport.com\/blog\/passport-application-photos-a-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Passport Application Photos: A History"},"content":{"rendered":"

For most Americans, one of the first steps in the process of submitting a passport application is to stand in front of a white background and have the photo clerk at the nearest drugstore take your picture. But that wasn’t always the case. In fact, according to the Oxford University Press<\/a> blog, passports did not have to include a photo of the bearer until 1914. \u00a0Before that time, the Department of State relied on detailed written physical descriptions to ensure that passports were not used fraudulently.<\/p>\n

If you think the picture on your passport looks like a mug shot, you’re not alone. \u00a0Nor is this a new problem-people have been complaining about how much they hate their passport photos ever since passport photos became mandatory. The Oxford University press blog notes:<\/p>\n

This \u201cdistortion\u201d was the product of the clashing of two particular traditions of photographing people: the portrait and the \u201cscientific\u201d image (generally used in criminal identification photographs).\u00a0 Most passport applicants associated representational truth with the specific articulation of realism in photographic portraits.\u00a0 This association gave rise to complaints that a standardized passport photograph was unflattering, and in fact did not look like the bearer.\u00a0 From the inception of passport photographs, people experienced \u201ca pang of horrid surprise, almost disbelief, upon first looking at the photograph which [was] to identify them in a foreign country;\u201d at least according to a\u00a0New York Times<\/em> editorial from 1930\u2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It already takes at least 6 weeks to get your passport if you apply with normal processing. Even if you apply with expedited processing, it could still take up to 3 weeks. \u00a0However, if your passport photo isn’t up to snuff, you could be looking at an even longer processing time. \u00a0To keep your application from being delayed, see Passport Photos: How to Get Them Right the First Time<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/a>If 3 weeks is too long to wait for your passport, RushMyPassport can help. We’ll walk you through \u00a0the application process and deliver your application directly to the Department of State for lightning-fast processing.<\/p>\n

Submit your passport application<\/a> today!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For most Americans, one of the first steps in the process of submitting a passport application is to stand in front of a white background and have the photo clerk at the nearest drugstore take your picture. But that wasn’t always the case. In fact, according to the Oxford University Press blog, passports did not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[27,25],"class_list":["post-1406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-passport-photos","tag-passport-application","tag-passport-photos"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t