Prepared to approach home: popular passport photos | Drawing

In 1953, Dave Sharkey, a former professional boxer, and his wife, Ann, set up a photography studio in Oxford Street, London. The studio promised prints ‘ready in 10 minutes’ before anyone else in the city could make such a quick turnaround. Located next to the US embassy and Selfridges, the studio, which was eventually taken over by the family’s son Philip, became a gateway for artists, actors, musicians and athletes, all looking to get their passport photos taken. Muhammad Ali, Bianca and Mick Jagger, David Hockney, Tilda Swinton and many others sat on their passport photo.

Passport Photo Servicepublished by Phaidon Press, it contains more than 300 photographs of famous people from the 1950s to 2010.