Laughing Peasant Woman, Albrecht Durer, 1505

JOHN E. writes:

Dr. Rummler’s theory of why people used not to smile for photographs doesn’t explain all of the drawings and paintings from the past, also typically void of the pearly whites. If teeth were considered so essential to a person’s representation in a visual, they could have been sketched in, even if the subject being painted was in actuality all gums.

This reminds me of a passage I read in Dostoevsky’s A Raw Youth. The protagonist remarks to his father how much a photographed portrait resembles the protagonist’s mother. The father answers, making the point that it is rare that a photograph will show a person’s characteristic appearance:

                                                                        

Jeff W. writes:

Those interested in the history of smiling in photographs might like to look at photos of presidents.

Calvin Coolidge generally did not even try to smile in his photographs.

Herbert Hoover tried to display an image of confidence during the Great Depression, a kind of half-smile.

FDR was the first president to display his teeth in official photos.

JFK often displayed a wide, toothy grin in his photos.

John E. writes:

By the way, wonderful sketch by Durer. In this case, among the less-pressing questions to resolve about the sketch is whether the peasant woman’s teeth were actually there when Durer did his work.

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