Why Victorian Photographs So Often Show Serious Faces Instead of Smiling Ones

Why Victorian Photographs So Often Show Serious Faces Instead of Smiling Ones

I have recently been finding out a little bit about everyday life in the Victorian era. It made me wonder about those old photographs that so often seem serious and unsmiling. Today, we take pictures all the time of laughing, smiling faces and people enjoying themselves. Victorian photography was very different. When we look at those stern faces, I wonder if people were unhappy, but the truth is rather more complicated.

Photography became increasingly popular during the nineteenth century after early processes such as the daguerreotype appeared in the 1830s and 1840s. At first, having a portrait taken was not an everyday experience. It could be expensive and time-consuming, making it something of an occasion. For many families, especially those of more modest means, a photograph might be the only portrait they would ever have.

The process helps us to understand the expressions we see. Early cameras required very long exposure times. Depending on the method and lighting, people sometimes had to sit motionless for several seconds or even longer.

 Holding a smile naturally for that length of time could be uncomfortable and difficult. Photographers often used head rests or they used carefully posed positions to prevent the subject from moving, because any movement could blur the image.

Victorian culture also shaped how people approached photography. Portrait painting had influenced ideas about what was seen as dignified and respectable and serious expressions were seen as signs of self-control and good character. Many people believed a formal portrait should present them at their best. A smile, especially a broad one showing teeth, could sometimes be linked with silliness, informality, or even poor manners.

This does not mean Victorians did not have fun. Family letters, diaries, and surviving candid photographs remind us that they laughed, played, and loved much like we do. But sitting in front of a camera may have been intimidating. Some people might have been nervous about wasting money or worried about how they would appear to future generations. Others dressed in their finest clothes might have been eager to leave behind a lasting memory.

Post-mortem photography, though unsettling to us today, became part of Victorian mourning culture. For grieving families, a photograph could preserve the face of someone they worried would be forgotten.

When we look at those unsmiling Victorian faces, we are not seeing coldness at all, but people trying to present dignity.

 Do you think we misunderstand Victorian photographs because we judge them through modern expectations?