Well, technology is partly to blame.
The daguerreotype, introduced worldwide in 1839, was the first widely used photographic process. The exposure time in those early days was really long, sometimes lasting over 15 minutes. You could imagine how arduous a task it must have been for people to hold a smile that long.
Getting your picture taken in the 19th century didn't come cheap. Most people had only one picture taken their whole lives, so the event itself was a big deal. Those with the wherewithal to have several pictures taken probably felt smiling didn't communicate classiness, so they refrained from doing it.
Furthermore, at the turn of the century, smiling became more popular with the advent of the camera. Not only did they become more affordable and easier to use over time, but it became customary to use them for casual snapshots -- something those living in the mid-1800s might never have envisaged.
Little did those folks know that selfies with cell phone cameras would be the rage in 2015!
Did you ever wonder why people never smiled in old pictures?
The daguerreotype, introduced worldwide in 1839, was the first widely used photographic process. The exposure time in those early days was really long, sometimes lasting over 15 minutes. You could imagine how arduous a task it must have been for people to hold a smile that long.
Getting your picture taken in the 19th century didn't come cheap. Most people had only one picture taken their whole lives, so the event itself was a big deal. Those with the wherewithal to have several pictures taken probably felt smiling didn't communicate classiness, so they refrained from doing it.
Furthermore, at the turn of the century, smiling became more popular with the advent of the camera. Not only did they become more affordable and easier to use over time, but it became customary to use them for casual snapshots -- something those living in the mid-1800s might never have envisaged.
Little did those folks know that selfies with cell phone cameras would be the rage in 2015!
Did you ever wonder why people never smiled in old pictures?
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