A man has been taking mirror selfies at the same barber shop for 50 years in a heartwarming tradition.
Former news photographer Sam Farr, 78, has snapped a picture each decade since the 1970s, but now, sadly, may have taken his last due to ill health. Mr. Farr snapped a black and white selfie in 1973 while his barber Joe Pace was giving him a trim and has been doing it every 10 years since.
The father-of-two who previously worked for the Bath Evening Chronicle, now the Bath Chronicle, has pictured himself at Mr. Pace’s “Giuseppe’s of Bath” five times over 50 years: in 1973, 1985, 2007, 2015, and 2023.
In each photo, Mr. Farr is seen cracking an amazing smile and sporting the exact same trim—each time featuring a new camera, ending with an iPhone.
Mr. Farr of Bath, Somerset, England, said: “I have always stuck with Joe ... we’ve been lifelong friends, we know each other’s families.
“The first time I took the photo I had just bought a Rolleiflex camera for about 100 pounds (US$130), a lot of money back then, and I wanted to see what I looked like.
“I used to take photos for so many people back then but never took pictures of myself, so I decided to snap one and started a tradition. He’s been cutting my hair for so long that he’s changed locations three times.
“I hadn’t even realized it had been 50 years since our first cut until he brought it up. Every time I would come in, he would always say, ‘Oh, it’s been 30 years, 40 years.’ When we hit 50 years, we thought it would be special to celebrate it. He even gave me a free haircut.”
Mr. Farr has also kept the same hairstyle since his first trim. He describes the look as “aging Beatle.”
According to Mr. Farr’s 48-year-old daughter, Nicky Higby, her father’s latest photo will likely be his last.
Ms. Higby said: “Unfortunately, due to Dad’s health issues, I think this picture will probably be his final one.
“Due to his battle with Parkinson’s and other conditions, it’s hard for him to hold a camera anymore.
“Last time, in 2015, we just about managed to do it, but this time we went for an iPhone instead.
“The tradition has been lovely for him and us as a family though.”
She said: “Joe has always been a close friend of Dad’s and the pictures constantly come up on social media.
“I recently saw a post about Dad’s selfies on Reddit which had thousands of comments.
“The lovely thing is they always comment on how happy [he] looks.
‘'He’s a very smiley man—except when someone gets his pizza order wrong.”
