History's Best Smilers, We've Been Practicing For Awhile

JPK Huson 1863

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Joined
Feb 14, 2012
Location
Central Pennsylvania
smile little girl.jpg

Hands-down favorite smiler-in-era photographs, a few ancestors couldn't help themselves. She must have been a delight off camera, too.

Noticed in another thread how surprising it seemed that someone was smiling in an era photo? No photography expert, but for whatever reason we do see mostly poker faced ancestors looking back at us. Habitually save those rebellious sparks among us who broke out in a grin or smile for the camera for that reason. It's catching, better than the infectious yawn. You always smile back, over 150 years later.

From Ebay, NYPL, sometimes Pinterest, once in awhile LoC and National Archives, we catch them at it.

smile girl dad.jpg

Smiling Dad and baby? Both seem to have a reason to smile.

Kids. The world's best reason.
smile siblings.jpg


smile mom.jpg


smile girl bonnet.jpg

A pretty young woman in a pretty bonnet left this for all of us.

@Belle Montgomery , I know almost nothing of reenacting. Is it smiling er, frowned on ( sorry, couldn't resist ) while in character? I think you're safe indulging? Have a feeling it's tough for you not to smile.

smile crowd.jpg

This crowd may be smiling from across the Pond I think it's British ) - perhaps because it wasn't their war?

And ha! A smiling wedding photo. Finally!
smile couple.jpg



That small smiles still count....
smile girl.jpg

This is prewar by at least 5 years.

smile mom baby tinted.JPG




smile woman close up.jpg




Still finding BIG smiles
smile toddler.jpg


smile family.jpg

Proud smile, with reasons!

smile widow.jpg

Also pre-war but who cares? What a warm smile.

OK-one more then I'll stop, swear. It's just addicting, looking out for these- been saving them for years on the grounds these folks deserve to be thanked- for leaving us smiling.
smile man hat.jpg


" ....... if you, just SMILE
 
View attachment 196545
Hands-down favorite smiler-in-era photographs, a few ancestors couldn't help themselves. She must have been a delight off camera, too.

Noticed in another thread how surprising it seemed that someone was smiling in an era photo? No photography expert, but for whatever reason we do see mostly poker faced ancestors looking back at us. Habitually save those rebellious sparks among us who broke out in a grin or smile for the camera for that reason. It's catching, better than the infectious yawn. You always smile back, over 150 years later.

From Ebay, NYPL, sometimes Pinterest, once in awhile LoC and National Archives, we catch them at it.

View attachment 196549
Smiling Dad and baby? Both seem to have a reason to smile.

Kids. The world's best reason.
View attachment 196553

View attachment 196552

View attachment 196548
A pretty young woman in a pretty bonnet left this for all of us.

@Belle Montgomery , I know almost nothing of reenacting. Is it smiling er, frowned on ( sorry, couldn't resist ) while in character? I think you're safe indulging? Have a feeling it's tough for you not to smile.

View attachment 196546
This crowd may be smiling from across the Pond I think it's British ) - perhaps because it wasn't their war?

And ha! A smiling wedding photo. Finally!
View attachment 196547


That small smiles still count....
View attachment 196550
This is prewar by at least 5 years.

View attachment 196562



View attachment 196554



Still finding BIG smiles
View attachment 196556

View attachment 196557
Proud smile, with reasons!

View attachment 196559
Also pre-war but who cares? What a warm smile.

OK-one more then I'll stop, swear. It's just addicting, looking out for these- been saving them for years on the grounds these folks deserve to be thanked- for leaving us smiling.
View attachment 196560

" ....... if you, just SMILE
Thank you! These are so wonderful and refreshing! It shows their personality will not be restrained in front of the camera. I DO smile a lot too and mean it...unlike some who fake smile and you know/feel they're scheming something. It also helps I grew up hearing this amd try to refer myself to it when I'm feeling down:
 
Albeit the people living during the Civil War had a lot of reason to cry for 4 years straight and kudos to them for carrying on their lives without their deceased loved ones...
 
View attachment 196545
Hands-down favorite smiler-in-era photographs, a few ancestors couldn't help themselves. She must have been a delight off camera, too.

Noticed in another thread how surprising it seemed that someone was smiling in an era photo? No photography expert, but for whatever reason we do see mostly poker faced ancestors looking back at us. Habitually save those rebellious sparks among us who broke out in a grin or smile for the camera for that reason. It's catching, better than the infectious yawn. You always smile back, over 150 years later.

From Ebay, NYPL, sometimes Pinterest, once in awhile LoC and National Archives, we catch them at it.

View attachment 196549
Smiling Dad and baby? Both seem to have a reason to smile.

Kids. The world's best reason.
View attachment 196553

View attachment 196552

View attachment 196548
A pretty young woman in a pretty bonnet left this for all of us.

@Belle Montgomery , I know almost nothing of reenacting. Is it smiling er, frowned on ( sorry, couldn't resist ) while in character? I think you're safe indulging? Have a feeling it's tough for you not to smile.

View attachment 196546
This crowd may be smiling from across the Pond I think it's British ) - perhaps because it wasn't their war?

And ha! A smiling wedding photo. Finally!
View attachment 196547


That small smiles still count....
View attachment 196550
This is prewar by at least 5 years.

View attachment 196562



View attachment 196554



Still finding BIG smiles
View attachment 196556

View attachment 196557
Proud smile, with reasons!

View attachment 196559
Also pre-war but who cares? What a warm smile.

OK-one more then I'll stop, swear. It's just addicting, looking out for these- been saving them for years on the grounds these folks deserve to be thanked- for leaving us smiling.
View attachment 196560

" ....... if you, just SMILE
Outstanding choice of photos, Annie. I love the one in which the young'uns are stone faced and mom and dad are smiling.
 
Some great images. I suspect lots of people smiled in images back then. Maybe others did not because it was a serious thing getting an image made, or it was hard to keep a smile during the long exposure time. Lots of people do not smile in photos today. Maybe bad teeth or no teeth.
 
View attachment 196545
Hands-down favorite smiler-in-era photographs, a few ancestors couldn't help themselves. She must have been a delight off camera, too.

Noticed in another thread how surprising it seemed that someone was smiling in an era photo? No photography expert, but for whatever reason we do see mostly poker faced ancestors looking back at us. Habitually save those rebellious sparks among us who broke out in a grin or smile for the camera for that reason. It's catching, better than the infectious yawn. You always smile back, over 150 years later.

From Ebay, NYPL, sometimes Pinterest, once in awhile LoC and National Archives, we catch them at it.

View attachment 196549
Smiling Dad and baby? Both seem to have a reason to smile.

Kids. The world's best reason.
View attachment 196553

View attachment 196552

View attachment 196548
A pretty young woman in a pretty bonnet left this for all of us.

@Belle Montgomery , I know almost nothing of reenacting. Is it smiling er, frowned on ( sorry, couldn't resist ) while in character? I think you're safe indulging? Have a feeling it's tough for you not to smile.

View attachment 196546
This crowd may be smiling from across the Pond I think it's British ) - perhaps because it wasn't their war?

And ha! A smiling wedding photo. Finally!
View attachment 196547


That small smiles still count....
View attachment 196550
This is prewar by at least 5 years.

View attachment 196562



View attachment 196554



Still finding BIG smiles
View attachment 196556

View attachment 196557
Proud smile, with reasons!

View attachment 196559
Also pre-war but who cares? What a warm smile.

OK-one more then I'll stop, swear. It's just addicting, looking out for these- been saving them for years on the grounds these folks deserve to be thanked- for leaving us smiling.
View attachment 196560

" ....... if you, just SMILE
 
Ooohh a few more:

2383351308_9f518d9354_o.jpg

Some smiling Yanks near Chattanooga, possibly on furlough. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2018670890/

tumblr_o94p0dsqWZ1rm9yhio1_1280.png

Federals goofing with saber bayonets. Note the seated kid appears to be laughing (while also eating?). http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2018667027/

tumblr_o9c6hqZLyM1rm9yhio1_500.jpg

Smiling boy holding a soldier’s musket at the Gettysburg Address (http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2018671678/).

But my favorite of all might be these laughing fish curers from County Down, Ireland, in the late 19th century:
tumblr_og1kkwlZzq1rm9yhio1_500.png

http://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000316600
 


All of these are wonderful, thank you! You caught me sleeping- never thought to inspect camp photos for smilers ( and grinners, laughers, chortlers and rib ticklers ). Extra kudos for them, finding humor while planted in the middle of bugs, hardtack, mud and damp canvas. Good eye, to our benefit!

You just reminded me of my grgrandfather's journal, from WWI. He was extremely particular, a doc with an engineer's mind. Pages of diagrams, graphs, rules, regulations, diagnosis, medicine, operations- and then one so surprising it gives you a whole, ' nother take on the guy. Lice. He and his buddies named them, wrote hysterical personality profiles on single, ' pet ' lice, boasted of their prowess as lice. This while the hospital was captured, men died all around them and trench warfare blighted the landscape. People's resilience flatten me. Human spirit, much?
 
All of these are wonderful, thank you! You caught me sleeping- never thought to inspect camp photos for smilers ( and grinners, laughers, chortlers and rib ticklers ). Extra kudos for them, finding humor while planted in the middle of bugs, hardtack, mud and damp canvas. Good eye, to our benefit!

You just reminded me of my grgrandfather's journal, from WWI. He was extremely particular, a doc with an engineer's mind. Pages of diagrams, graphs, rules, regulations, diagnosis, medicine, operations- and then one so surprising it gives you a whole, ' nother take on the guy. Lice. He and his buddies named them, wrote hysterical personality profiles on single, ' pet ' lice, boasted of their prowess as lice. This while the hospital was captured, men died all around them and trench warfare blighted the landscape. People's resilience flatten me. Human spirit, much?

That's an amazing story! Humor helps people persevere through even the darkest of times.
 
View attachment 196545
Hands-down favorite smiler-in-era photographs, a few ancestors couldn't help themselves. She must have been a delight off camera, too.

Noticed in another thread how surprising it seemed that someone was smiling in an era photo? No photography expert, but for whatever reason we do see mostly poker faced ancestors looking back at us. Habitually save those rebellious sparks among us who broke out in a grin or smile for the camera for that reason. It's catching, better than the infectious yawn. You always smile back, over 150 years later.

From Ebay, NYPL, sometimes Pinterest, once in awhile LoC and National Archives, we catch them at it.

View attachment 196549
Smiling Dad and baby? Both seem to have a reason to smile.

Kids. The world's best reason.
View attachment 196553

View attachment 196552

View attachment 196548
A pretty young woman in a pretty bonnet left this for all of us.

@Belle Montgomery , I know almost nothing of reenacting. Is it smiling er, frowned on ( sorry, couldn't resist ) while in character? I think you're safe indulging? Have a feeling it's tough for you not to smile.

View attachment 196546
This crowd may be smiling from across the Pond I think it's British ) - perhaps because it wasn't their war?

And ha! A smiling wedding photo. Finally!
View attachment 196547


That small smiles still count....
View attachment 196550
This is prewar by at least 5 years.

View attachment 196562



View attachment 196554



Still finding BIG smiles
View attachment 196556

View attachment 196557
Proud smile, with reasons!

View attachment 196559
Also pre-war but who cares? What a warm smile.

OK-one more then I'll stop, swear. It's just addicting, looking out for these- been saving them for years on the grounds these folks deserve to be thanked- for leaving us smiling.
View attachment 196560

" ....... if you, just SMILE
Nice to see smiles ! I must have several hundred photo's of stone faced Germans and some look down right nasty. If I offended any Germans here Oh well. I am 100 % German myself . lol
Zero 2. Had to look at some of my happier photos. Excuse the crappy photography . My favorite picture that I have is the Ww1 soldier holding his regimental Stein with a confident smirk.
 

Attachments

  • 1531868781349-1922321425.jpg
    1531868781349-1922321425.jpg
    139.4 KB · Views: 179
  • 1531868920788717021247.jpg
    1531868920788717021247.jpg
    123.7 KB · Views: 183
  • 1531868972425-1426167285.jpg
    1531868972425-1426167285.jpg
    102.2 KB · Views: 194
  • 1531869018912446652052.jpg
    1531869018912446652052.jpg
    137 KB · Views: 182
Back
Top