As I said earlier I know that they did not smile due to the length of time they had to sit still for the photographer told them not to smile I am a Civil War reenactor and know someone who takes the exact same photos and he also ask you not to smile. ----- Original Message ----- From: "LORETTA CARAWAY" <gypsygirl111@msn.com> To: "La Darla" <txwise@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, April 13, 2009 1:40 AM Subject: Re: [TXWISE] Long faces in photos--FYI To the List; People didn't smile back then because they had bad teeth and didn't want to show this. Also they didn't have a lot to smile about. I guess they couldn't afford to go to the dentist, or maybe there wasn't a dentist within reach. Now this is my take on this and I have thought about the long ,sad faces in the early photos and wondered the same thing. If anyone has a better explanation, let's hear it. Loretta Caraway Longview, Texas gypsygirl111@msn.com > To: TXWISE@rootsweb.com > Date: Fri, 10 Apr 2009 09:54:29 -0400 > From: ladarlak@aol.com > Subject: [TXWISE] Long faces in photos--FYI > > Why the Long Faces in Old Photos? > Posted by Maureen > > > > > Every so often I bump into a 19th century photo in which the subjects are > grinning. It's a rare event. Occasionally, you see a Mona Lisa smile, but > it's difficult to locate an image from the 19th century where folks > actually showed teeth the way we do today. So, you're probably > wondering—why the long face in most pictures? > > In the beginning, I imagine that sitters were nervous in front of the > camera. It was new, and having your picture taken was an uncomfortable > procedure. > > Look closely at your early photographs and see if you can spot a posing > device such as a wooden stand behind the subjects' feet. This device > sometimes extended as far up as the head and had clamps around a person's > waist or head to keep him still for the long exposure time. Would you feel > like smiling? > > In this 1870s tintype, you can see a chair with the adjustable back. This > man holds the the chair back, but if you look closely at his feet, you can > see a wooden brace stand. > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > TXWISE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to TXWISE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message