【Going Viral on Twitter】 It Turns Out the Moon Photo Booths Commonly Seen Abroad Have a Wonderful Meaning!

2020.05.14 published

A Wedding Photo with the Moon, Often Seen＊

I often see a photo booth with a crescent moon in overseas wedding photos on Pinterest and other platforms.

Until now, I only thought, "How romantic! It’s wonderful, like taking a stroll in the night sky."

However, it turns out that this moon as a photography prop has a proper “name” and “meaning.”

I learned about it through this tweet!

twitter 埋め込みコンテンツ

It’s called a "paper moon"＊

Taking a commemorative photo sitting on a moon was a kind of trend or boom that started in the 1800s, during the era of film culture.

Since it was a moon made of paper (or board), it was simply called “paper moon.”

During this time, the society was not yet one where individuals could own cameras, so having photographs taken against a glamorous paper moon backdrop with family at photo studios involved the intention of:

"Recording the happy moments of life"

"Preserving memories that won’t fade away"

It seems to carry that meaning as well.

It’s beautiful and can become a treasure you want to keep for a lifetime.

By the way, humanity's first trip to the moon was with Apollo 11 in 1969.

This means that the paper moon was a trend far before that in the 1800s, a time when going to space was still a distant dream.

I thought that for people back then, this moon photo booth must have been shocking and eye-catching…?!

There are songs and movies too＊

It seems there are songs and movies inspired by the paper moon.

Here’s a song by Harold Arlen, E.Y. Harburg, and Billy Rose, released in 1932.

"It's Only a Paper Moon."

The song conveys the message that it might be just a fake moon made of paper, but if you believe in it, it all becomes real.

With a bright jazz melody,

it’s also referenced in a phrase in Haruki Murakami’s novel "1Q84," so some may know it from that＊

It’s a globally famous song.

As for the movie, it’s this one.

Released in 1974, the film "Paper Moon" depicts a con artist and a girl who lost her mother deepening their bond in a road movie.

Both the song and the movie,

suggest that whether it’s real or not (it’s actually fake), if you believe in it, it can become a real memory, love, and bond, leading to happiness,

which connects back to the theme of the paper moon, and I found that very convincing...!

Maybe it’s good to take wedding photos with it?

Until now, I thought the moon photo booth was stylish and romantic,

but I was surprised to learn it has the name "paper moon" and a meaning of "recording the happy moments of life!"

However, I feel like I've learned something very good＊

In Japan, there are photo studios where you can take pictures with a paper moon as well.

So, it might be a good idea to take wedding photos there or even try making one ourselves♡