When People Started Smiling in Photographs and Why They Didn't Before

TL;DR

Learn why people started smiling in photographs and how it became a common practice.

Transcript

say cheese i'm simon whistler you're watching The Today I found our YouTube channel and in the video today you're going to learn about why people started smiling in photographs let's get started smiling in photographs say cheese this simple command is meant to elicit a smile from potential photography subjects no matter what their age it has become... Read More

Key Insights

• 😀 The phrase "say cheese" became popular in the 1940s for eliciting smiles in photographs.
• 😀 In the Victorian era, tightly-controlled mouths were considered beautiful, and smiles were not preferred.
• 😀 Long exposure times and dental hygiene are often blamed for the lack of smiles in Victorian-era photographs, but daguerreotypes after 1845 and expensive photography sessions were also factors.
• 🎥 Kodak's affordable cameras and the movie industry helped bring more smiles to photographs and influenced social beauty standards.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did the phrase "say cheese" become popular in photographs?

It is believed that the chirp sound in "cheese" causes people to position their teeth and form a smile. The phrase appeared in the 1940s and has been commonly used since then.

Q: Who is credited with the formula for smiling in photographs?

Ambassador Joseph E Davies introduced the formula of saying "cheese" to make people look pleasant in photographs. He possibly learned it from President Franklin D Roosevelt.

Q: Why were people not smiling in photographs during the Victorian era?

In the Victorian era, tightly-controlled mouths were considered beautiful, and smiling was not preferred. Also, photographs had long exposure times, which made holding a smile challenging.

Q: How did Kodak change the practice of photography?

Kodak's introduction of affordable cameras, such as the pocket Kodak and the $1 brownie camera, made photography accessible to everyone. This led to capturing everyday moments and more smiles in photographs.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Saying "cheese" in photographs became popular around the 1940s as it helped people position their teeth and form a smile.

• In the Victorian era, tightly-controlled mouths were considered beautiful, so photographers made their subjects say "prunes" instead of smiling.

• The long exposure time and dental hygiene in the Victorian era are often blamed for the lack of smiles in photographs, but these reasons may not be accurate.