49 Rare Photos Of Victorians Proving They Weren’t As Serious As You Thought
Victorian era gave us many great inventions that we still use today - bicycles, Morse code, ice cream as we know it, and even the telephone. The era of Queen Victoria's reign, though, had some pretty bizarre happenings too. Such as ladies getting stuck in doorways because of their extra big dress skirts and constantly fainting as a result of very tight corsets. Also, the London fog did exist, and it comprised of nothing else than heavy pollution from coal mines and the city being in regular fires. Victorians were oddly obsessed with Egyptology and makeup, especially lipstick, was compared to witchcraft. To add even more fun to the mix, the social rules and behavior codes were amazingly strict.
With life this pleasant, it's no wonder that nobody was smiling in the creepy pictures taken in the Victorian era. Everybody looks so severe that it seems as if people in the 1800s just didn't have the time, or strength to have fun. But as these rare vintage photos 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 too rough a life to take funny pictures. But as you can see from the vintage photography exemplars below, some still found something to smile about. From gentlemen cross-dressing as fair ladies of the times, to probably the first awkward family photos in history, the few Victorians, who managed to have some fun, are all here. (h/t: whizzpast)
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A Victorian Couple Trying Not To Laugh While Getting Their Portraits Done, 1890s
There was a journalist / comedian called Jorge Ginsburg here in Argentina who looked just like this fellow.
Cakewalk Dance
Men And Women Cross Dress In This Silly Victorian Snap, 1880-1900
Say That Again, And I'll Dip You In, 1897
He came op with the words sadism and masochism. And made a very popular book about sexual behaviors, partly in Latin so not every one could read it.. quote wiki: Krafft-Ebing's principal work is Psychopathia Sexualis: eine Klinisch-Forensische Studie (Sexual Psychopathy: A Clinical-Forensic Study), which was first published in 1886 and expanded in subsequent editions. The last edition from the hand of the author (the twelfth) contained a total of 238 case histories of human sexual behaviour.
Richard Freiherr Von Krafft-Ebing
He came op with the words sadism and masochism. And made a very popular book about sexual behaviors, partly in Latin so not every one could read it.. quote wiki: Krafft-Ebing's principal work is Psychopathia Sexualis: eine Klinisch-Forensische Studie (Sexual Psychopathy: A Clinical-Forensic Study), which was first published in 1886 and expanded in subsequent editions. The last edition from the hand of the author (the twelfth) contained a total of 238 case histories of human sexual behaviour.
The Victorians From France
Courting In The 1800s Never Looked Better
Tsar Nicholas II Goofing Around, 1899
Smiling Victorians
Smiling Little Girls
Victorians Pulling Face, 1900
Smiling Victorians, 1900s
Tsar Nicholas II, 1899
A Smiling Queen Victoria In An Open Coach, 1892
Smiling Victorian, 1800s
Miss Barton Dressed In A Late Victorian Tennis Outfit
Man Pulling A Funny Face
A Woman Riding A 'scorcher', A Victorian Bicycle, In St James' Park, London
Smiling Victorian Servants
A Group Of Smiling Edwardians
Man Pulling A Comical Face, 1900
A Group Of Women To Celebrate The Centenary Of The London Bus
I don't think this picture is actually from the victorian era. Its way to clear and sharp.
Gibson Girls
The 20th Century Victorian Man With Banishing Woman
Smiling Victorians, 1900s
Can someone explain to me if this was exposed for hours, how come the shadow of the hat is so clear?
Slicker-Looking Guy
I like lists like these, showing a more humane side of people of the past, making them feel closer to us, since we're thinking of them as just abstract characters usually. I bet the "dark middle ages" were really not as dark either.
Most people were unable to afford photographs taken with a quick exposure camera, which would explain Czar Nicholas having the fastest shutter speed. I've seen a few others on this list before as examples of experimental photography from the time: the woman jumping is a good example, and I've seen it before. To be fair, several appear to be Edwardian, but I'm a photographer, not a historian.. the processes on a few appear newer and on silver nitrate.
I was suspicious of a few of them too, but what the hell, it's fun.
Me too
utterly fabulous
I remember Robin Williams in 'Dead Poets Society', "food for worms boy's."
weird..but intriguing. Nice to see the humorous side of Victorians instead of the scary and serious photos we keep seeing
Great to see joy and humor instead of the dour faces we have been accustomed to asspciated with the era
Beautiful pictures of bygone days.
Of course Victorian and Edwardian people had lives, and a great sense of humor. Must read some literature during that era, and it's very evident.
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I loved this. It's great seeing the real people not the front put on for public viewing.
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The snow lady is a fake its too well sculptured plus the lady on right has an arm. Far too long
I think it is her long scarf.
Ce sont c'est cheveux, pas son bras. (une communauté de femme au très long cheveux...)
I like lists like these, showing a more humane side of people of the past, making them feel closer to us, since we're thinking of them as just abstract characters usually. I bet the "dark middle ages" were really not as dark either.
Most people were unable to afford photographs taken with a quick exposure camera, which would explain Czar Nicholas having the fastest shutter speed. I've seen a few others on this list before as examples of experimental photography from the time: the woman jumping is a good example, and I've seen it before. To be fair, several appear to be Edwardian, but I'm a photographer, not a historian.. the processes on a few appear newer and on silver nitrate.
I was suspicious of a few of them too, but what the hell, it's fun.
Me too
utterly fabulous
I remember Robin Williams in 'Dead Poets Society', "food for worms boy's."
weird..but intriguing. Nice to see the humorous side of Victorians instead of the scary and serious photos we keep seeing
Great to see joy and humor instead of the dour faces we have been accustomed to asspciated with the era
Beautiful pictures of bygone days.
Of course Victorian and Edwardian people had lives, and a great sense of humor. Must read some literature during that era, and it's very evident.
Twitter Button??
I loved this. It's great seeing the real people not the front put on for public viewing.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
The snow lady is a fake its too well sculptured plus the lady on right has an arm. Far too long
I think it is her long scarf.
Ce sont c'est cheveux, pas son bras. (une communauté de femme au très long cheveux...)