Not Just About Exposure Times – The Secret Behind Those Serious Old-Time Photos Finally Exposed!

Take a look through any 19th or early 20th-century photo album, and you’ll quickly notice a pattern: almost everyone in these photos has a serious, even somber, look. If there’s a hint of a smile, it’s barely there, lending old photos an almost eerie vibe. But why didn’t people smile in early photos? Were their lives really so difficult, or was this just the norm of the time?

The answer to why people didn’t flash smiles in old photos goes beyond just the limitations of early camera technology. While it’s true that the long exposure times required by these early cameras played a role, there are a few other reasons that contribute to the serious faces we see in old portraits.

Holding Still for Early Photography Was No Small Feat

One of the main reasons people didn’t smile in these old photographs was, in fact, due to the long exposure times needed. Cameras of the 1800s required people to remain motionless for several minutes to capture a clear image. Now, imagine trying to hold a smile for even a minute. What might start as a grin quickly becomes strained and unnatural, so a more neutral, relaxed face was easier to hold for the extended time.

But while exposure time was certainly a factor, it wasn’t the only reason for the serious expressions.

Tradition Carried Over from Painted Portraits

Before the invention of the camera, people had their portraits painted, and these painted portraits often set a serious tone. Painted portraits took hours to complete, and a smile would have been almost impossible to hold for that long. Historically, most subjects of paintings appeared neutral or even stern, with a slight smirk being about as far as expressions would go. This style of portraiture was ingrained in the culture, so when photographs became popular, it simply didn’t occur to many people to change their expressions to a smile.

As photography became the new medium for capturing people’s images, the familiar “serious face” was still seen as the way a portrait should look. Showing your teeth in a grin just wasn’t how it was done.

Smiling Was Seen as Undignified

Throughout history, the meaning of a smile has evolved. Today, we associate it with friendliness, joy, or even professionalism, but in 17th-century Europe, a broad smile often signaled something far less respectable. As art historian Nicholas Jeeves explains, “the only people who smiled broadly, in life and in art, were the poor, the lewd, the drunk, the innocent, and the entertainment.” In other words, smiling in a portrait was seen as improper, even foolish.

This perspective, that a dignified portrait was one without a toothy grin, continued to influence photography long after technology allowed for shorter exposure times. Only lower classes, jesters, and drunks were depicted with broad smiles, while refined people were expected to maintain a composed and serious expression.

The Influence of Early Cinema on Photography

So how did we go from serious faces to smiling ones in modern photos? One theory suggests that motion pictures were a game-changer. When movies began to show people expressing a range of emotions, audiences could watch the natural play of feelings across a person’s face. This visibility began to normalize the idea of showing emotions in captured images, making smiles more common in photos by the 1920s.

With movie stars smiling on screen and photographs becoming more casual, it became acceptable—and even encouraged—to show joy in portraits and snapshots. The camera, which once focused on creating a “serious” likeness, began capturing lighter, more everyday expressions.

A Time Capsule, Not a Reflection of Their Happiness

Seeing these old portraits today, it’s easy to think of our ancestors as dour or overly serious, but that’s far from the truth. Just like us, they felt the same spectrum of emotions we do—joy, sadness, excitement, and everything in between. They just didn’t see the photo as a place to express that joy. Instead, these portraits were meant to be a formal record of one’s likeness, capturing a more neutral expression.

By the 1920s, photos began to change as the cultural meaning of a smile shifted. Capturing joyful expressions became the norm, reflecting a more relaxed approach to photography. So, when you look at those old photos, remember they were just like us—they just hadn’t yet embraced the idea of “saying cheese.”