Whenever you see an old-timey group photo, the subjects always look moodier than a teenager at a garden centre.
And before today, we put it down to the past being a bit rubbish. After all, they didn't have the internet, or Soccer Saturday, or McDonald's chicken nuggets - they had every right to be angry.
But according to Vox.com, there's a far more reasonable explanation for the phenomenon. According to camera heads, retro cameras' long exposure times meant that shooting photos took minutes at a time. People couldn't hold their smiles for that long, and it would have inevitably led to blur.
The steely-faced look was also influenced by classic paintings, amongst other things. Check out the video below for the full explanation...
-
From puffers to parkas: The must-have jackets and coats doing the heavy lifting this winterThese are the outerwear heroes keeping you warm, dry and effortlessly stylish this season
-
From Lincoln to Phantom Thread: The 7 films that prove Daniel Day-Lewis is untouchableFrom epic historical figures to intimate character studies, these roles showcase why Day-Lewis is one of the greatest actors of all time
