If you realize, people didn’t smile in old photos. Here’s why

Last Updated on 2016-05-19 , 1:54 pm

There’s a picture of Charles Darwin that’s popped up lately. Apparently the man was known for his warmth and love as a father.

If you were to judge him by the picture, you’d say that he was a grumpy looking Santa.

And he’s not the only one from the past to pose looking glum and all.

Most portraits of the past have people posing without smiles. Another famous Victorian photograph that has the same seriousness is a portrait taken in 1867 of John Frederick William Herschel, a famous astronomer.

He looks like his favorite pup just got shot in the knee.

Seriously, what drove people from those days to pose in such a sad way? You’d think that the olden days were full of all things dull and sappy.

The answer is actually pretty simple. They had to hold a pose for a long time before the click finally came in. Like really, really long.

I’d hate it if I had to hold a smile for more than 15 minutes for a camera shot.

There’s also another hidden meaning behind all of this sad photos.

Photography at that time was very rare. Getting your picture taken was actually a pretty big time. For some people, it was a once in a lifetime kind of thing.

Pretty much like you and me going to visit the pyramids or the Great Wall of China.

Photographs were also looked at as a faster way to get your portrait done. It was also cheaper on the wallet. Or string purse, in this case.

And we all know Mona Lisa never actually smiled for her portrait.

These days, we take so many selfies in a day, and smile like silly ducks when we’re taking a picture with our girlfriends. It’s hard to imagine that the people from the old eras thought of photos as a way to showcase their poetic and depth.

In fact, if you think of it, a happily smiling selfie is the complete opposite of a serious portrait photograph. Plus, if I wasn’t happy with my picture, all I’d have to do is click the delete icon and it’d end up in my phone’s rubbish bin.

Looking at it from this perspective, I’d say that there is a heavier meaning to the portraits of old. The presence they showed in their stark realities are so much deeper than our Instagram posts.

Maybe we should stop smiling and reflect more, too.

Top Image: Everett Historical / Shutterstock.com