No Smiles, what is up with old photos?

Why are their smiles turned upside down in historical photos? I remember from my childhood staring wide-eyed at the family photograph that hung on the wall at my Grandma Moore's house was odd to me why the faces were stone-like, even mad. What had happened before the photograph to make them so upset? Even the children looked sad. When I asked my Grandmother about the picture she told me it was considered vain to smile in a photograph.

Picture taken in the early 1900's. Pictured is James Wiley and Martha Bess. This is the great great grandparent's of my Brotherinlaw Mike Burnett. The photograph was hanging in his livingroom so he let me take a copy with my cell. Sorry it wasnot the best quality. Another reason for the frown like smile was it took twenty minutes for the camera to process the picture with the old Daguerreotype camera. By the time the photograph was finished the smiles had worn off. The old cameras were nowhere near advanced as they are in the twentieth century and if anyone moved or changed their facial expression the photograph would turn out blurry. It is said the photographer staged the process as if they were painting the patrons portrait. Can you imagine trying to keep the children still for that amount of time?

It was also common practice for some family members to have a photograph taken of their deceased. The photographer would stage the dead in different poses by proping up stands and using hidden ropes to position them to appear alive. A little creepy if you ask me.

There are a few photographs found from the nineteenth century where a smile was found. Below is my favorite.

I hope this was enlightening for a few of you. Take the pictures and bring on the smiles. Thank you for joining me today on Cowboy Kisses! Take care and see you next month on the fourth monday of October. xoxoxo Find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can find all my books on Amazon.