When someone needs to travel, they just reach out for their passport and head to the nearest airport. What many people do not know is that the passport is only around 100 years old. Before the Germans introduced the modern day passport bearing a picture in 1915, people used to travel to other countries using a simple document that had a description of the owner.
Just before the current passport was adopted, there was an attempt to include more personal details in the travel document. The early version of the passport included the name of the traveler, a brief mention of their size (tall, short, small, etc.) and hair color. The document also described their face and any other recognizable mark, such as a missing finger or a scar.
The British had their distinct version of a passport in the form of a note that a traveler carried around. The typical note read something like “John Smith, a British subject, on a mission to travel around the continent”.
The launch of the German passport in the year 1915 necessitated the use of a passport picture for easy identification. The earliest passport photos did not have a standard size, so one could use any photo of their choice. As long as the picture could fit within the document, it was acceptable. People took passport photos leaning on their favorite horses or while playing the guitar. In those days, hats were accepted on the pictures, meaning people wore their fanciest hats on the passport images.
The rule that one had to show their full face without a hat came into effect in 1926. At around the same time, the UK specified the size of a passport photograph. Colored images gradually made their way into passports from the early 1940s. As more people started using air travel, governments saw the need to improve their passports. From around the 1960s, the US government asked people not to smile on their passport pictures. Minors traveling with their parents were also required to take a child passport photo.
Today, the passport has undergone a major transformation. People now use digital images, and passports have more security features. The current passport is more compact yet has more information than its predecessors. We can only wait and watch to see the new direction this valuable travel document will take.
