smile …
Toronto. We have all heard that in the 1800s people in photos had a stern, serious, unsmiling expression. A ZOOM talk this month on October 10th (tomorrow) sheds some light on this assumption. Our friends at the Monmouth County (NJ) Historical Association (MCHA) are hosting Gary Saretzky. Gary’s presentation is, “Why Didn’t People Smile in Old Photos? …or Did They?”.
“Back in the early days of photography in the 1840s, photographers said, “Say Prunes!” instead of “Say Cheese!” to get a facial expression considered appropriate for a portrait.
“Most sitters continued to display serious faces until the 20th century. Yet a
small percentage of extant 19th century portraits show people smiling.
“Illustrated with numerous examples, including some celebrity portraits, this
lecture explores the smiling/not smiling continuum in 19th century photographic portraiture.”
Visit the MCHS website here for registration details.
