An article in the Philadelphia Inquirer today announces the launch of a new photography website from the Smithsonian Photography Initiative. The article describes a few of the 1,800 photographs now available online, a small fraction of the massive Smithsonian photography collection. Among the photos in this first batch accessible online are photos of an extinct hyena, abolitionist John Brown, Jackson Pollock’s studio, and a photobooth photo of legendary photographer Ansel Adams.

There’s a zany self-portrait of Adams, taken in a photo booth. This 1930 snapshot with his hat pulled down to his eyes contrasts vividly with his open landscapes.

The photograph is from the collection of the Archives of American Art, in the Katherine Kuh Papers.

Photo: Ansel Adams, Photo Booth Self-Portrait, spi.si.edu.

This just in from the Dallas Morning News: a free photobooth at the front of the Imperial Palace Casino in Las Vegas is no more. According to the News Travel Column, “This great freebie falls victim to what has been a series of changes and revamps at the center-Strip casino since it was bought by Harrah’s.” We haven’t had any reports from people who have used the booth in the past to know if it was a traditional or digital booth. If anyone has memories of using the booth, please, comment or drop us a line.