Today anyone can take a dozen selfies in a few seconds, complete with filters and instant edits. In the early days of photography, however, getting a single image was slow, expensive, and often very strange by modern standards. From serious faces to photographs of the dead, early photographers and their subjects followed customs that can feel unsettling or downright bizarre today.

Early photography was shaped by long exposure times, high costs, and Victorian ideas about death, dignity, and technology. That combination produced some odd traditions by modern standards, including:

• Serious, unsmiling portraits that copied the style of painted portraits.
• Post mortem photographs that served as the only image of a loved one.
• “Hidden mother” photos where adults were disguised to hold children still.
• Metal head rests and posing stands used to keep people from moving.
• Spirit photographs that claimed to capture ghosts through clever tricks.
• Hand painted portraits that turned black and white photos into quasi paintings.

Why People Did Not Smile in Early Photos

One of the first things people notice about nineteenth century photographs is how serious everyone looks. It is easy to assume that exposure times were so long that smiling was impossible, and long exposures were definitely part of the problem. Keeping a broad grin for tens of seconds could easily result in a blurry face.

There was also a cultural reason. Early photography borrowed heavily from painted portrait traditions, where dignified, composed expressions were the norm. In many European and American portrait traditions, wide smiles were associated with behavior that was considered undignified, such as drunkenness or madness, so a sober expression was seen as more appropriate for a serious portrait that might be displayed for decades or even generations.

Post Mortem Photography

Another practice that feels especially eerie today is post mortem photography. In the nineteenth century, it was common for families to have photographs taken of deceased relatives, particularly children. Photography was still relatively new and expensive, so for many families this was the only image they would ever have of a loved one who had died.

These images varied in style. Some clearly show the subject laid out as if for a funeral, with closed eyes and flowers arranged around the body. Others tried to make the person appear as if they were still alive, with the deceased seated in a chair or surrounded by family members who were very much alive. To Victorian families who lived with higher child mortality and fewer images in general, these portraits could be tender keepsakes of someone they had just lost. To modern viewers used to casual snapshots of the living, they can look quite unsettling.

The “Hidden Mother” Technique

Photographing small children was a challenge in the era of long exposures. Young kids were not known for standing perfectly still, so photographers and parents turned to creative solutions. One of the most unusual was the “hidden mother” photograph.

In these images, a baby or toddler sits calmly for the camera, while a parent or helper is concealed within the frame. The adult might be covered with a patterned cloth, hidden behind a curtain, or cropped out later, leaving behind a strange shape or a mysterious arm supporting the child. This genre of photography became surprisingly common in the Victorian era, particularly in studios that specialized in children’s portraits.

To families at the time, the important thing was getting a clear image of the child. To modern viewers, the partially visible adults can make the photos look like something from a horror film, even though they served a very practical purpose.

Head Rests and Posing Stands

If you look closely at some early studio portraits, you might spot something odd behind the subject’s neck. Many studios used metal head rests or posing stands to help people hold still. These devices had a base on the floor, a vertical pole, and a small support that touched the back of the head or neck. They were not meant to hold up a person’s full weight. Instead, they acted like a subtle brace that kept the head from swaying during an exposure that could last several seconds or more.

In later years, a myth spread online that these stands were used to prop up dead bodies for post mortem portraits. Photographic historians have pointed out that the design of these stands would not support a full body and that they were routinely used for living subjects. Even so, once you notice the faint outline of a head rest in an old portrait, it is hard to unsee it.

Spirit Photography

As photography spread in the nineteenth century, it quickly intersected with another popular trend of the time: Spiritualism. Some photographers claimed they could capture images of ghosts and spirits alongside living sitters. These “spirit photographs” often show faint, ghostly figures hovering near a subject, or the supposed spirit of a loved one resting a translucent hand on someone’s shoulder.

In reality, spirit photographs were created using tricks such as double exposures and reusing plates that were not properly cleaned. One of the most famous spirit photographers, William Mumler, built a career on such images before he was eventually taken to court. Although he was acquitted, investigators showed that his “spirits” were copied from earlier portraits and that his methods relied on photographic sleight of hand.

Despite exposure of these tricks, spirit photography remained popular with some believers, who saw the images as comforting proof that the dead were still present. Today these photos sit somewhere between historical curiosities, examples of early photo manipulation, and artifacts of grief.

Hand Painted Photographs

Color photography as we know it today did not become widely available until the twentieth century. Long before that, studios offered a “color” option by having artists paint directly on black and white photographs. Faces might be lightly tinted with pink cheeks, eyes brightened, or clothing and backgrounds filled in with color.

The results range from subtle enhancements that look almost natural to heavily painted portraits that resemble paintings more than photographs. Many families saw this as a way to elevate a simple photograph into something closer to the painted portraits that had been reserved for the wealthy in earlier generations.

Composite Skies and Perfect Clouds

Another quirk of early photography appears in outdoor scenes. Because exposure times were geared toward capturing detail in faces and buildings, the sky often blew out to a blank white. To fix this, some photographers began using composite printing. They would expose one plate for the landscape or building and a separate plate for a cloudy sky, then combine them in the darkroom.

To modern eyes, these skies can look almost too perfect, especially when the same cloud formations appear in completely different images. Long before digital editing, photographers were already altering reality to create more dramatic pictures.

Posing Without Touching

Even when the subjects were very much alive, social norms shaped how people stood in front of the camera. It was common for married couples or family members to appear with little or no physical contact. Instead of hugging or leaning on each other, they might stand side by side, slightly apart, with hands folded or resting on nearby furniture.

This reflected the formal nature of the studio portrait. Photography sessions were rare and often expensive, so people dressed in their best clothes and behaved as they might for an important painted portrait. Casual poses that feel normal in modern family photos were seen as too informal for an image that was meant to last.

From Strange to Normal, Then Back Again

Many of these early practices grew out of practical constraints. Long exposures required still subjects. Limited access to cameras meant that each image carried more weight and formality. High mortality rates and an absence of casual snapshots made post mortem portraits and hidden mother images feel like logical solutions rather than oddities.

As technology changed, so did expectations. Faster shutters made smiles and playful poses easier. Cheap film and, later, digital cameras turned photography from a rare event into an everyday habit. Practices that once felt normal now appear strange, while modern habits like selfie sticks and face filters would probably look just as bizarre to people from the nineteenth century.

In that sense, early photography is a reminder that what feels “normal” in front of a camera is always shaped by culture, technology, and the way people expect images to be used in their lives.

Sources

• TIME, “Now You Know: Why Didn’t People Smile in Old Photographs?” (2016), on cultural ideas about smiling in portraits.
• FamilySearch blog and related historical discussions on unsmiling faces in early photos and portrait customs.
• “Post mortem photography” and related historical material on nineteenth century mourning practices.
• “Hidden mother photography” and later analyses of Victorian child portraits with concealed adults.
• Historical notes on Victorian posing stands and head rests used for long exposure portraits.
• Articles on nineteenth and early twentieth century spirit photography, including the work and exposure of William Mumler.