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15+ Rare Photos Of Victorians Proving They Weren’t As Serious As You Thought

If you've ever looked at pictures from the Victorian era then you've probably noticed that nobody is smiling. Everybody looks so serious that it seems as if people in the 1800s simply didn't know how to have fun. But as these rare pictures prove, that wasn't always the case.

There are many theories as to why Victorians always look so dour in pictures. Long exposure times made smiling difficult (and by long we mean several hours. Seriously. Ever tried smiling for several hours? It hurts) and the high cost of portraits gave people very little to smile about. Poor dental hygiene made people reluctant to show their teeth (or whatever teeth they had left), and let's not forget that many Victorians simply had it pretty rough back then. But as you can see from the pictures below, some still found something to smile about. (h/t: whizzpast)


A Victorian Couple Trying Not To Laugh While Getting Their Portraits Done, 1890s



A Unique Tea Setting For Two



Cakewalk Dance



A Snow Lady, 1892



Unusual Portrait Of A Victorian Lady, 1840



Three Fashionable Young Men At Yale, 1883



Awkward Family Photo, Victorian Edition



Tsar Nicholas II Goofing Around, 1899



Vintage Humor



Piggy Nose



Men And Women Cross Dress In This Silly Victorian Snap, 1880-1900



Say That Again, And I'll Dip You In, 1897



Unknown Victorian In Mid-jump



Vacation Sports At The Seaside



Richard Freiherr Von Krafft-Ebing