Victorians aren’t exactly known for being a smiley, happy bunch. But as these rare photos show, this wasn’t always the case.
There are several theories as to why Victorians always look so miserable in pictures. Long exposure times (we’re talking several hours) made smiling difficult, portraits were expensive (not much to smile about there), and poor dental hygiene meant people in the 1800s were reluctant to show their teeth.
Contents
show
#1. A Victorian couple in the 1880s trying very hard not to laugh! <3
#2. A Victorian woman thinking creatively about where to put her cups.
#3. The inspiration for Thriller!
#4. Three fashionable young men at Yale, 1883.
#5. More Victorian cross-dressing.
#6. A snow lady, 1892.
#7. Victorians also liked to play around with taking funny family photos.
#8. Tsar Nicholas II goofing around, 1899.
#9. Vintage humor!
#10. Little miss Victorian piggy.
#11. A Victorian lady ‘posing’ in 1840.
#12. Young Victorian love, 1897.
#13. The classic mid-jump shot — Victorian edition.
#14. Just posing at the beach.
#15. Oh my.
