The captivating stillness of old photographs often presents us with a puzzle: why the pervasive lack of smiles? From daguerreotypes to early portraits, the individuals staring back at us from these historical records almost universally sport serious, unsmiling expressions. While a rare grin might occasionally peek through, it wasn’t until the dawn of the 20th century, particularly the roaring twenties and thirties, that smiling became the expected norm in front of the camera lens.
This shift from solemnity to smiles begs the question: what were the reasons behind this century-long evolution in photographic expression? Was it due to technological limitations, changing social customs, or something else entirely? Let’s delve into the fascinating history behind the smiles (or lack thereof) in old photographs.
The Dental Dilemma: Were Bad Teeth to Blame?
One of the more grounded, albeit somewhat unflattering, theories points towards dental health. It’s easy to dismiss the idea that poor teeth could have dictated photographic expressions, assuming that widespread dental issues were simply a common, unremarkable condition of the time. However, Angus Trumble, director of the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra and author of A Brief History of the Smile, offers a compelling counter-argument. He suggests that while bad teeth might have been prevalent, they were far from desirable, and this played a significant role in the reserved expressions of early photography.
“People had lousy teeth, if they had teeth at all, which militated against opening your mouth in social settings,” Trumble explains. Before the advancements in modern dentistry, tooth decay, loss, and general oral health problems were rampant. Smiling broadly, therefore, might have been avoided out of self-consciousness or simply to maintain a more presentable appearance in a formal portrait. The professionalization of dental health in the early 20th century could then be seen as a contributing factor to the increasing prevalence of smiles in photographs, as people gained more confidence in showcasing their teeth.
An early example of a smile in photography: a soldier during the Mexican-American War in 1847.
Debunking the Exposure Time Myth: Technology Wasn’t the Only Constraint
A common explanation for the stony faces in 19th-century photographs is the lengthy exposure times required by early photographic processes. The narrative suggests that holding a smile for extended periods was simply impractical, leading people to adopt more relaxed, neutral expressions. While there’s a kernel of truth to this, experts argue that technology’s role has been overstated.
Todd Gustavson, technology curator at the George Eastman Museum, acknowledges that early photographic methods did demand longer exposures. “If you look at the early processes where you did have a long exposure time, you’re going to pick a pose that’s comfortable,” he says. However, by the 1850s and 1860s, advancements in photographic technology had significantly reduced exposure times, sometimes to just a few seconds, especially under optimal lighting conditions. Subsequent decades saw even shorter exposures become increasingly accessible.
This technological progress meant that capturing fleeting expressions, including genuine smiles, was technically feasible long before smiles became commonplace in portraits. Christina Kotchemidova, a professor specializing in culture and communication, reinforces this point. She argues that attributing the lack of smiles solely to technology reflects our contemporary perspective, where smiling for photos is almost automatic. Smiling for a camera, she contends, isn’t an innate human response but a learned behavior, a cultural construct.
A man smiles amongst poker players in an 1853 photograph, demonstrating smiles were possible in early photography.
The Art of Portraiture: Painting’s Enduring Influence
The most compelling explanation for the serious demeanor in early photographs lies in the influence of pre-existing artistic conventions, particularly those of portrait painting. Photography, in its nascent stages, often looked to established art forms for guidance on composition, posing, and expression. In the realm of painting, wide smiles were often considered undignified and inappropriate for formal portraiture.
Angus Trumble elucidates this connection, stating that while subtle smiles might be acceptable for religious figures or saints in paintings, broader smiles were associated with undesirable traits. They were linked to “madness, lewdness, loudness, drunkenness, all sorts of states of being that were not particularly decorous.” Consequently, early photographers, especially those operating high-end studios, aimed to emulate the elegance and formality of painted portraits. They meticulously controlled the setting and directed their subjects to adopt composed, serious expressions, aligning with the established norms of portraiture. These formal portraits were a significant investment, often intended as lasting representations of individuals, further reinforcing the desire for dignified and serious portrayals.
The Democratization of the Smile: Snapshot Photography and Cultural Shift
Despite the prevailing trend of serious expressions, glimpses of smiles did appear even in early photography, often in less formal contexts. These early examples, such as the smiling officer in the 1847 Mexican-American War photograph or the grinning man among poker players from 1853, highlight the importance of context and evolving social norms. As photography became more accessible and the range of people being photographed broadened beyond the upper classes, so too did the spectrum of acceptable expressions.
The true catalyst for the widespread adoption of smiles in photographs was the rise of snapshot photography. George Eastman’s Kodak camera in 1888 revolutionized photography by simplifying the process and making it accessible to the general public. “Take the camera out of the professional and put it into the hands of the snapshot photographer and then they can do whatever they want,” notes Gustavson. Kodak’s user-friendly cameras, coupled with their marketing and instruction manuals, played a crucial role in shaping cultural norms around photography. The 1900 Brownie camera, priced affordably, further democratized photography, marketed even to children.
This shift towards amateur, spontaneous photography gradually influenced more formal portraiture. As people became accustomed to capturing and seeing more candid, joyful expressions in snapshots, their expectations for formal portraits also evolved. Painters, in turn, began to incorporate elements of photographic realism and spontaneity into their work, while photographers explored artistic techniques borrowed from painting. This cross-pollination extended to expressions, with smiles becoming increasingly common in painted portraits during the Edwardian period (1895-1914), mirroring the change already underway in photography.
An African-American man smiling in an 1860 photograph, showcasing a departure from typical formal portraiture.
Advertising and the American Smile: A Marketing Revolution
By World War II, smiling in photographs had become the dominant norm. A study analyzing yearbook photos from 1905 to 2005 confirmed this trend, showing a gradual increase in lip curvature and smiles over time, with women often leading the way in adopting broader smiles. Christina Kotchemidova argues that the widespread smile in photography was particularly an American phenomenon, significantly propelled by the burgeoning advertising industry.
Kodak’s iconic catchphrase, “you press the button, we do the rest,” exemplified a shift in advertising strategies. Companies moved away from fear-based marketing towards positive messaging focused on consumer happiness and satisfaction. Kodak pioneered this approach, portraying their cameras as tools for capturing joyful moments and associating smiling with positive experiences. These commercial cues effectively ingrained the idea that smiling was the expected and desirable expression in photographs, bypassing the need for explicit explanations. People internalized these messages, imitating the smiling figures they saw in advertisements and popular culture.
Ultimately, the evolution of smiles in photographs reveals a fascinating interplay of social, technological, and cultural forces. It underscores that seemingly natural behaviors, like smiling for a picture, are often shaped by historical context and evolving norms. The serious expressions in old photographs are not necessarily indicators of widespread unhappiness but rather reflections of different aesthetic and social conventions. As Angus Trumble aptly summarizes, “People in human history have smiled, laughed, and behaved more or less as they do today, in other words naturally and spontaneously, in the private sphere. What is radically different is public performance and public presentation.” The shift from solemnity to smiles in photographs is a testament to the dynamic nature of cultural expression and the powerful influence of changing times.
