"SIT UP STRAIGHT AND BE STILL"

My grandma Edith is pictured above with her sisters and brother, in a family portrait taken in 1889 (grandma, 2nd from the left, is 13 years old).
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Brownbird - Throwback Thursday
Why didn't people smile in these old photos? Several reasons: long exposure times, dental hygiene, cultural norms. In this case, it might have been simply a parent telling the kids to "Sit up straight and be still" - =:o)