Myrtie (Adams) Atha
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Myrtie (Adams) Atha
Updated Jun 26, 2025
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Peggy Hefner
1 follower 75 favorites
09/26/2015
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AncientFaces
382k+ followers 411 favorites
10/13/2015
Don’t smile for the camera. 1920s postcard photo of Myrtie Adams Atha with her friend in Cincinnati Ohio.
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Why was it that no one smiled in pictures until relatively recently? Does anyone know?
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It was the exposure time, it would of hurt to hold a smile so long x
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My grandmother explained that it was important to look serious. She would forget herself once in a while and let her huge smile show.
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So I guess it was just not fashionable to smile in photos. Either that or the corset was too tight and basically made you hate the world!
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Beth Pritchard Correct on both counts. Funny thing is Nonna (Grandma) smiled and laughed all the time, sounded like a whole bouquet of robins. Get her in front of a camera... She even made fun of herself once because she made a face like an impoverished old lady and even folded her hands on her lap.
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I was told that it was considered common.
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Still, better than the endless modern selfies that rape my inbox daily.
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I heard because it made your teeth blurred at the time because it didn't show definition much. Idk? Also it was the fashion not to smile.
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It was generally much more of an 'occasion' and, especially in isolated areas, May only happen a few times in a lifetime. As mentioned, exposure took longer and it took much longer to set up the equipment and the lighting and focus just right so there was much less 'look up and smile' spontaneity. There were, of course, always people who had bad teeth, didn't like having their pictures taken. Didn't necessarily mean they weren't happy people or weren't having a good time.
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I've always heard it was because people had bad teeth back then but who knows?
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Was it common to make photos into post cards in the past ? I have a few and think it may have served double duty, send a photo and some news at the same time. Does anyone know about photo post cards ?
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Yes and they did it right into the late 50s.
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In Russia the practice mostly stopped after the revolution. But before that I think it was pretty common indeed. I too have some family photo posts card from the beginning of the last century.
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I don't think exposure had anything to do with it. Vintage cards with girls of easy virtue prove that.
One just did't smile for no reason and at strange people. You can smile at a joke, you can smile at children, family, friends. But not at random, that would be vulgar and show lack of breeding. Smiling at a stranger woman was sending an invitation, smiling for no reason man was considered not right in the head.
One just did't smile for no reason and at strange people. You can smile at a joke, you can smile at children, family, friends. But not at random, that would be vulgar and show lack of breeding. Smiling at a stranger woman was sending an invitation, smiling for no reason man was considered not right in the head.
Joanne Smith
5 favorites
10/14/2015
My mother said that her maternal grandmother (1892-1967) born in Greene County Virginia, felt that smiling in photos was undignified. But as soon as she married in 1912, she chopped her hair off and her husband apparently liked it short.
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