Have you ever been perplexed by the fact that people in black and white photographs never appear to be smiling? It is certainly strange because one would think that, with the invention of the camera, people would be eager to capture their happy moments for posterity.
It wasn’t until the late 19th century that photographers began encouraging their subjects to smile, and later into the 20th century that smiling became the norm in photography.
Here’s a look at the history of photography and why people didn’t smile in old photos!
Why Didn’t People Smile In Old Photos
Smiling in photos wasn’t always the norm. In fact, it was quite the opposite!
Here, we highlight five reasons why you would never see a smile in old photos.
Long Exposure Time
One of the main reasons is that the exposure time was incredibly long. Early cameras required subjects to sit completely still for several minutes while the image was being captured. This means that smiling would have resulted in a blurry photo.
Can you imagine having to hold a natural smile for that long? It’s no wonder why people look so serious in old photos!
Bad Dental Hygiene
While it is common nowadays for an average person to have great dental health , this wasn’t always the case. In fact, poor dental hygiene was quite common in the past. This is why you often see people in old photographs with their mouths closed – they were trying to hide their bad teeth!
Dentistry began to improve in the late 1800s leading to fewer people having bad or missing teeth. This is also around the time when you start to see more people smiling in photos.
Different Aesthetic
Another reason why you wouldn’t see people smile in old photos is that the aesthetic of the time period was different. In the Victorian era, for example, it was considered proper etiquette to keep a serious expression while taking a picture. Smiling was often seen by most people as being vulgar or inappropriate, and associated with silliness, vulgarity, and rowdiness.
It wasn’t until the early 1900s that smiling in photos became more of common social norm. This is likely because of the changing attitude towards photography. It was no longer just an important document or art; it was also a way to capture moments and memories.
Costs Of Early Photographs
Early on, taking photographs was so time-consuming and expensive that they were reserved only for the most important events like weddings, graduations, and other once-in-a-lifetime events. And since these were such important occasions, they wouldn’t want “a foolish smile caught and fixed forever in your photographs.
With the introduction of mass-produced cameras and film later in the 19th century, people could take pictures more frequently. This led to the rise of candid photos and snapshot culture.
Influence From Painted Portraits
Another factor is the cultural influence that came from old paintings. For most of history, if you wanted to have your portrait made, you would sit for a painting. And since paintings were such serious works of art, the subjects usually had very serious expressions.
This tradition carried on to printed portraits in the early days of photography as well, as people were often discouraged to show human emotions while taking pictures.
Why Did People Start To Smile In Photos?
Towards the late 1800s and early 1900s, you would begin to see wide smiles in photographs that would continue until this day. You might be wondering why exactly people started smiling in photographs, after a century of people putting on the most serious of expressions for a photo.
The answer is a higher level of accessibility.
The Invention Of Kodak Cameras
The invention of kodak camera in 1888 is often underappreciated in the world of photography. This camera was much easier to use than previous cameras because it was designed particularly for amateurs to take photos on their own.
For one, they were much smaller and lighter, which made them more portable. This meant that people could take them wherever they went. The cameras cut down the exposure times of taking pictures as well, and people could now have their images captured in few seconds.
The Kodak company also produced film rolls that were easy to load into the camera, which made taking pictures less of a hassle. And because the film was so affordable, people could take lots of pictures without worrying about the cost.
All of these factors made it possible for people to take photos in a variety of settings, including candid shots of friends and family. People began taking more photographs in their natural elements, and the wide smiles started to appear in them en masse.
Photographs Became More Than Documents
Whereas in the early days, when a photograph would be your most important document, the widespread availability of Kodak cameras opened up limitless options for early photography.
People could now take motion pictures of their loved ones while they’re playing, having dinner, or just goofing off. A goofy grin was no longer considered taboo in photos. In fact, it was encouraged!
That’s why we see so many more smiles in photographs taken of people from future generations after the advent of Kodak cameras—because they weren’t just used for important events anymore, but for everyday life as well
Tips For Getting Beautiful Smiles In Photos
Sometimes, when we put ourselves out there for the camera, our attempts at a smile go awry.
Smiling for cameras, despite being a natural human behavior, is something that must be learned. Here are five methods to guarantee you have the most beautiful and brightest smile today!
Think Happy Thoughts
If you think of something that genuinely makes you smile before the shutter clicks, your smile will be more authentic.
Practice In The Mirror
Get comfortable with how your teeth look when you smile. If there are any aspects of your teeth you’re self-conscious about, now is the time to work on fixing them.
RELAX your FACE
Smiling is a natural human behavior, but it’s also something that must be learned. Just like any other skill, the more you practice, the better you’ll become at it.
Ask For A Joke
If you’re having trouble thinking of something that will make you smile, simply ask the person taking your photo to tell you a joke!
How To Restore Old Photographs
Old photos are used to commemorate cherished memories and offer a glimpse into how people lived in the past. If you have precious old photos that are starting to show their age, there is a simple way to fix them.
Bring them to us!
What Do We Do?
Our specialty is bringing damaged photos back to life and we provide a variety of photo restoration services all intended to restore the sentimental value of your old photos.
Unblur Pixelated Photos
Our restoration artists will closely examine your blurred image, remove stains, fix missing pieces, mold, blur, refine and add more detail and color to each image. We won’t stop until all your photos are in the best condition.
Add Color To Black And White Photos
Do you want to change your old black and white photo to a color photo? Well, you’re in luck!
We would repair your original photo with realistic colors so that they look brand new.
Increase Image Resolution
In case you have digital images that you need to enhance as well, look no further. We will have your photo restored utilizing both the expertise of our professionals and our next-gen photo restoration software.
How Reliable Is MemoryCherish?
For one, we have a 4.8/5 star rating on Trustpilot, and 4.9/5 on Reviews.io.
Our commitment to producing stellar quality restoration has even landed us on news reports by ABC, NBC, and FOX news.
Due to our brilliant restoration services, we have acquired a partnership with Adobe and work with them on a regular basis.
What Do I Need To Do?
First, you need to make them clean and ready for restoration. You can check out how to clean your old photos.
Next, you need to carefully scan this photograph. Then, you upload it and pick your restoration options.
You place your order, and that’s it, we go ahead and work wonders!
How Long Does It Take?
We would restore and send a digital copy of your sharpened image with beautiful added color back to you by email within 24 hours.
If there is anything you would like us to change on your restored photo, revisions are allowed on every restoration, completely free!
We also offer nationwide delivery of restored physical photos!
Can I Contact Someone For More Information?
Our customer support is available 24/7 to answer any further questions. You can send us an email at: support@memorycherish.com.
