Interesting photography of old (photo heavy post)
I was doing a Google search for something completely unrelated when I came across this engagement photo of two people from long ago. Most of the old photos I have ever seen seem to be devoid of emotion or happiness - people staring into the camera without smiling - and any pictures of couples bely their supposed love for one another because of this as well as their body language. I know the facial expressions were a result of exposure time being incredibly long, and holding a smile was often impossible.
But from this one it is clear that these two people are in love. Their faces, especially the half smile of the man...the way he is clutching her hand...and she looks positively smug - "Yeah this is my guy. He's hot and he's MINE, bitches." (Also funny to me: because of the closeup, if you ignore his hand around hers it also looks as though he could be taking a selfie.) Photos from this time period in which two people are embracing this intimately is rare. They look as though they might even be people who...gasp!...HAVE SEX.
They are also gorgeous, and the man reminds me of Paul Newman. One thing I like to do when I look at old photos that depict people in clothes and hairstyles from any era other than our own, is to try to imagine their faces with modern haicuts and clothes. Sometimes it's super hard, as people from long ago seem to look very different from this day and age no matter what they are wearing, but these two are easy to picture as current lovers, esp. when you can imagine the woman in a modern hairstyle rather than the Gibson Girl.
I can't stop looking at this picture. Ye GODS, this man is delicious.
Here are some other pictures I found, in comparison - some are earlier/later as far as specific time period, but same point can be made.
Note the difference in emotion and physicality. I know that the standard of pictures in this time period(s) were different and that the pictures aren't necessarily reflective of their feelings for one another, but they make the first picture really stand out. It is so strange to me that people who have just been married - arguably, supposedly one of the happiest days of your life - do not touch in any way, and often stand far away from one another. I can understand the sour looks because of the limitations of photography, but why they can't sit next to one another and at least hold hands is beyond me. I suppose it was what was considered appropriate, but jeez louise, they just got MARRIED...it seems as though if there any point where you WERE allowed to touch one another, it would be on your wedding day.
This one's not too bad...she at least seems somewhat amused, although he looks like he'd rather be golfing...I don't know how old this one is because I don't have enough of a working knowledge of era-specific wedding dresses, but it'll do for my purposes...her legs are exposed so I'm assuming it's probably 1920s?
They don't look melancholy or anything, but they're certainly not touching, and whatever feelings they may have about one another are unclear. What a beautiful headress she has tho, amirite? That's a really interesting hem, too; it's jagged. I don't think I've ever seen one like that before on a wedding dress - in any era.
Here are some more, with varying levels of somberness; even what looks like downright misery:
HELP ME OBI-WAN KENOBI YOU'RE MY ONLY HOPE AGAINST HIS RAZOR-SHARP MUSTACHE
She: (I'm just going to lean as far away as I can without anyone noticing...)
He: (I really need to get back to the office; have a lot of work to do...)
DEAR MOM: HAVING A TERRIBLE TIME - WISH YOU WERE HERE
PLEASE GO AWAY
WORST DAY OF OUR LIVES
(and that one is even from what looks like the 30s - no excuse for the sour looks, considering photography was easily able to capture moments pretty quickly...)
But I have also seen pictures of folks who DO seem to be having fun - they are almost exclusively older couples however, who seem to have long gotten past the point where they give a rat's ass about the appropriateness of their photo behavior...or maybe there's a statute of limitations that ends when you've been married over 20 years? Dunno. In any case, here's an adorable couple, who clearly like each other, and didn't mind that a few of these pictures would come out fuzzy.
Vive l'amour!
But from this one it is clear that these two people are in love. Their faces, especially the half smile of the man...the way he is clutching her hand...and she looks positively smug - "Yeah this is my guy. He's hot and he's MINE, bitches." (Also funny to me: because of the closeup, if you ignore his hand around hers it also looks as though he could be taking a selfie.) Photos from this time period in which two people are embracing this intimately is rare. They look as though they might even be people who...gasp!...HAVE SEX.
They are also gorgeous, and the man reminds me of Paul Newman. One thing I like to do when I look at old photos that depict people in clothes and hairstyles from any era other than our own, is to try to imagine their faces with modern haicuts and clothes. Sometimes it's super hard, as people from long ago seem to look very different from this day and age no matter what they are wearing, but these two are easy to picture as current lovers, esp. when you can imagine the woman in a modern hairstyle rather than the Gibson Girl.
I can't stop looking at this picture. Ye GODS, this man is delicious.
Here are some other pictures I found, in comparison - some are earlier/later as far as specific time period, but same point can be made.
Note the difference in emotion and physicality. I know that the standard of pictures in this time period(s) were different and that the pictures aren't necessarily reflective of their feelings for one another, but they make the first picture really stand out. It is so strange to me that people who have just been married - arguably, supposedly one of the happiest days of your life - do not touch in any way, and often stand far away from one another. I can understand the sour looks because of the limitations of photography, but why they can't sit next to one another and at least hold hands is beyond me. I suppose it was what was considered appropriate, but jeez louise, they just got MARRIED...it seems as though if there any point where you WERE allowed to touch one another, it would be on your wedding day.
This one's not too bad...she at least seems somewhat amused, although he looks like he'd rather be golfing...I don't know how old this one is because I don't have enough of a working knowledge of era-specific wedding dresses, but it'll do for my purposes...her legs are exposed so I'm assuming it's probably 1920s?
They don't look melancholy or anything, but they're certainly not touching, and whatever feelings they may have about one another are unclear. What a beautiful headress she has tho, amirite? That's a really interesting hem, too; it's jagged. I don't think I've ever seen one like that before on a wedding dress - in any era.
Here are some more, with varying levels of somberness; even what looks like downright misery:
HELP ME OBI-WAN KENOBI YOU'RE MY ONLY HOPE AGAINST HIS RAZOR-SHARP MUSTACHE
She: (I'm just going to lean as far away as I can without anyone noticing...)
He: (I really need to get back to the office; have a lot of work to do...)
DEAR MOM: HAVING A TERRIBLE TIME - WISH YOU WERE HERE
PLEASE GO AWAY
WORST DAY OF OUR LIVES
(and that one is even from what looks like the 30s - no excuse for the sour looks, considering photography was easily able to capture moments pretty quickly...)
But I have also seen pictures of folks who DO seem to be having fun - they are almost exclusively older couples however, who seem to have long gotten past the point where they give a rat's ass about the appropriateness of their photo behavior...or maybe there's a statute of limitations that ends when you've been married over 20 years? Dunno. In any case, here's an adorable couple, who clearly like each other, and didn't mind that a few of these pictures would come out fuzzy.
Vive l'amour!