Malta’s first passport photos

Abstract

Demarco tells the story of how a collection of historic records containing travel documents of Maltese and Gozitan citizens (as early as 1915), were saved last minute from accidentally being recycled into papier-mâché for a carnival float. Containing some of Malta’s first ever passport photos, this immensely valuable collection was then handed over to the National Archives. In the following paragraphs Demarco tracks the evolution of passport photos in Malta from its early twentieth century British origins. Not subject to strict criteria on focus, background, facial expressions, etc. allowed photographers to create diverse, authentic and aesthetic portraits up until the 1920’s. After which point, a template similar to what we know today, was regulated for the purpose of surveillance and identification. Five examples of these unique portraits are featured in the article from the National Archive’s collection.