02/10/2026
From the archive… Today is World Smile Day
And it sure is hard to find a smile in our local history photos. Here are two contenders: Hayes, Ethel [1907] and Howells baby [1916]. Ethel is definitely smiling because we can see her teeth. What do you think: is the Howells’ baby smiling or is it just gas?
Why don’t older photos have smiling faces? One possibility was that people didn’t want to show bad teeth. Another common explanation was that it took a long time to take a picture, although by the early 1900s exposure times were much quicker. A more widely held belief is that photography took guidance from the portrait art of earlier centuries where grins were considered uncouth. So studio photographers would create formal photographs, directing clients into staid expressions. You can read more in this 'Time' article https://time.com/4568032/smile-serious-old-photos