Why Don't People Smile in Old Photos?

When people are photographed, they are often asked to smile. This makes the photo more alive and the face more attractive. However, not everyone can do it naturally, and the result is noticeable in the photographs. But if you have seen old photographs from the 19th and early 20th centuries, you have probably noticed serious, and sometimes even tense, facial expressions. Smiles in old photos are extremely rare, and there are five reasons for this.

In the Victorian era, a prim and even haughty look was considered a symbol of good manners. Smiling was perceived as something frivolous and was reserved for close friends and family. A small mouth with pursed lips was a sign of aristocracy, and everyone tried to maintain this standard.

Taking photographs was not cheap in those days, so people tried to look decent and smart in portraits. Smiles, and especially laughter, were considered unacceptable for true ladies and gentlemen - they were attributed to commoners who did not know manners. The only exception was for children, who could behave in the frame as they liked, because no one demanded strictness from little ones.

Today, when every smartphone has a camera, photography seems like a simple and familiar part of life. But a hundred or a hundred and fifty years ago, everything was different. Many people of that time took pictures only once in their entire lives, and for some, the mysterious technology remained just a rumor.

The photographer, dressed in black and carrying an unusual box that resembled an eye, often evoked fear. Even at the beginning of the 20th century, the process of taking pictures seemed magical to many. The master demanded stillness, hid under a black robe, and then a bright flash followed. Some even wondered: is it permissible from a religious point of view to be photographed for this strange picture?

Modern cameras can change the shutter speed from thousandths of a second to infinity. Previously, photographers did not have such an opportunity - photographic plates had low light sensitivity, and instead of a shutter, the master himself opened the lens, removing the cover with his hand.

To get a high-quality and contrasting photo, people often had to stand absolutely still for 10-15 minutes. To stabilize the models, various supports were used to avoid accidental changes in pose. Imagine how difficult it is to maintain a smile for at least 5 minutes. That is why, even if the client wanted a photo with a smile, he often refused this idea, and sometimes the photographer himself convinced him otherwise.

Today, we take pictures at any time and in any circumstances. Some take more pictures in a day than our parents did in their entire lives. But once upon a time, everything was different. Photography was considered an expensive and even elite pleasure. Pictures were taken only on special occasions: a wedding, the birth of a child, an anniversary or a funeral.

Villagers had to travel tens of kilometers to take just one or two pictures. They put on their best clothes, did their hair, and even bought new clothes for the photo shoot. The realization that the photo shoot could be the first and perhaps the only one in their life gave this event a special solemnity. Photo studio clients treated the process with great trepidation and seriousness.

Just a hundred years ago, the level of dentistry left much to be desired. Even the richest people could not boast of a "Hollywood smile" - such technologies simply did not exist. Dentists usually limited themselves to fillings, installing metal crowns or extracting teeth.

That is why many clients of photo studios, even the wealthy ones, had rare, rotten or unattractive teeth. Naturally, no one wanted to demonstrate this defect in photographs. Artists could draw a snow-white smile, but a photograph, unlike a drawing, impartially reflected reality. Only in the 20th century, with the advent of high-quality retouching, the problem of teeth ceased to be so noticeable.

And also, if you see a gloomy person in an old photograph, are you sure that he is alive at all? The fact is that in the 19th century, posthumous portraits were very popular, in which they tried to give the dead as much "alive" appearance as possible.

Which of the above reasons do you find the most interesting or unexpected? Or maybe you know other explanations for why smiles are so rarely seen in old photographs? Share your thoughts in the comments!