Show Off Your Pearly Whites for National Smile Day
This is a snapshot of friends Edith Brayton and Isabel Carpenter. The girls are bundled up in coats trimmed with fur and hats, no doubt keeping them warm on a blustery day in March 1917. If you look closely, you can see the shadow of their friendly photographer, Doris Sherman Easton!
During the first half of the 19th century, photography was treated like an extension of portraiture. Images were produced on sheets of metal or glass and could take several minutes to fully develop. As such, professional photography relied on the stillness of the sitter. Much like portraiture, early photographs were a costly and serious venture, meant as a keepsake for the family.
It is not until the late 1880s that film was produced on affordable paper-based rolls. In 1900, Eastman Kodak released the first Brownie camera, which utilized film rolls. The Brownie was small, simple, and cost effective, starting at the initial price of $1.00. These portable cameras could be brought everywhere and capture life’s little moments. The family no longer had to rely on professionals to take serious family photographs, now the children could be behind the lens.
As cameras grew in popularity and portability, the fashion of smiling for a picture became the societal norm. By the time Edith Brayton and Isabel Carpenter posed for their friend, it likely wouldn’t have crossed their minds that they smiled for the camera.