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A related video series showing many places around the world in the 1900s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-UhDuKZ2OQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-UhDuKZ2O

A related video series showing many places around the world in the 1900s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-UhDuKZ2OQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-UhDuKZ2OQ There's a lot of really interesting things to see there besides the sites themselves. The obvious one worldwide is that this is before the mass commercialization of clothing + planned obsolescence of such, which seems to have a very negative outcome. But one thing not so visible that's really interesting to see is how simultaneously stern everybody looks with no fake smiles or hidden gazes. People were willing to just stare at something or somebody odd. But that sterness is regularly belied by things like a couple of guys in their 40s happily putting on a fake fight in front of the camera, falling on their asses, and just basically playing around like school boys having a great old time - a far rarer site now a days.

kmarc 1y ago
> how simultaneously stern everybody looks with no fake smiles or hidden gazes. People were willing to just stare at something or somebody odd FWIW, the fake smiles and hidden gazes, to me the least, were always a North American thing. In fact, in Switzerland we have its opposite, the infamous "Swiss stare" :-) https://www.newlyswissed.com/about-the-swiss-stare/ https://www.newlyswissed.com/about-the-swiss-stare/
- soco 1y ago
  I actually don't like his tone in the article. Why should the Swiss even care what is perceived as rude other countries, staring or whatever? There's this common view that immigrants from poor countries should adapt and integrate, but if they're from western(er) lands they get to judge?
  - tough 1y ago
    they're tourists and treat the places they visit like human-zoos
- aspect0545 1y ago
  Super interesting. I recently learned that a lot of foreigners moving to Germany find that Germans are staring. It’s called the German stare. I wonder if staring is a Germanic thing. https://www.zeit.de/campus/zeit-germany/2023/01/culture-face-to-face https://www.zeit.de/campus/zeit-germany/2023/01/culture-face...
  - Boogie_Man 1y ago
    Pro tip for everyone else: start counting with your thumb. For some reason I don't quite understand, my pinky and ring fingers don't operate well independently of one another. This is an issue when counting on my fingers (or attempting a boy scout salute), so I've started counting 1,2,3 from the thumb, 4 with the thumb down and all four fingers up, and 5, of course, with all digits extended. (I could start counting at my pinky, but that just makes me look totally nuts) Edit: If you read the article the comment I replied to posted, it includes thumb first counting as one of the cultural differences people experience when visiting Germany - in addition to the "Germanic Stare" they specifically mention in their comment. Consider actually reading before assuming I'm just typing nonsense - unless responding to titles and comments without reviewing the content they contain is a cultural difference I need a guide to get used to when visiting Hacker News.
    - pavel_lishin 1y ago
      I've started counting in a very weird way, because from an open hand, I can bring my ring finger down to my palm independently, but if I try to bring just my pinky down, the ring finger comes along from the ride. So when I count, I start with a closed fist, then open my thumb, followed by my index finger, then middle, then pinky, then ring finger.
    - cvwright 1y ago
      The pinkie and ring finger share a tendon - this is why they are weaker than the other fingers. Or, at least that’s how it was explained to me as a kid learning to play the double bass. The standard technique is to use those two fingers together to press the string on the upper part of the fingerboard where the most strength is required.
- ajkjk 1y ago
  American smiles in photos are mostly not fake, fwiw.
  - mlinhares 1y ago
    It is incredibly surprising to be told to smile when taking official photos in the US. I just couldn't understand the first time it happened at the DMV, the person kept saying "smile" and i'm like, wtf, why would i smile, this is an official photo for my driver's license.
    - dfinninger 1y ago
      That’s interesting. I’ve been told every time (so far) to keep a “neutral face”. I smiled once and the guy let out a heavy sigh and made me take the photo again (Redwood City, CA DMV).
      - blarg1 1y ago
        same, here in Australia
      - rcyeh 1y ago
        Can confirm. US passport photos want a neutral expression and explicitly say (not in the below page, but elsewhere during the renewal process) not to smile. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-apply/photos.html https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-app...
        benreis 1y ago
        Strange, one of the example photos has a person smiling. I’ve seen several US passports recently with the person smiling. It must not be an important rule if it’s not clearly communicated or enforced. Especially since some (all?) US states allow smiling in ID photos I would think they would be more explicit about not smiling in passport photos.
      - magicnubs 1y ago
milesrout 1y ago
[dead]
pjc50 1y ago
We're all "media trained" now from a young age to behave like people being filmed or photographed "should" behave. And if you don't quite fit the look, the camera AI selfie mode can tighten up your face for you.
aa-jv 1y ago
>sternness I really enjoy observing this and other changes in social tone visible through the ages in archaic videos .. One of my favourite idle pasttimes is to watch videos on Youtube of digitized film from a bygone era, especially of cities I've lived in, or visited and with which I am familiar. For some reason it is just so interesting, for example, to visit the streets of Vienna from 100+ years ago, and see how folks were living back then. So many well-dressed Viennese, looking sternly at the camera, or merely walking in a steady plod along streets I, too, in the modern era, enjoy. Vienna is particularly interesting because it has a long history with film, and some of them go back to before the widespread adoption of automobiles. It struck me just how easily we overlook the fact that Vienna was built for walking, originally, and all the crazy car life that the city suffers now was grafted on top of routes originally designed to be navigable by foot - or hoof. Just take a look at Vienna, from 1896: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aPvmD6ktZs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aPvmD6ktZs .. to Vienna, 1926: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGbTkQX6R0Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGbTkQX6R0Q .. pre-war Vienna (30's): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA9dHEKD-vM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA9dHEKD-vM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QITjWb29JZ8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QITjWb29JZ8 .. Vienna, 1939: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w96umMf9r3E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w96umMf9r3E .. post-war Vienna: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2VbXdrFXB8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2VbXdrFXB8 .. to Vienna, 1964: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0WCigqJ_wU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0WCigqJ_wU .. and lastly, Vienna in the 80's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WttS-PP-r4o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WttS-PP-r4o Its just so interesting to see how the city has evolved over the century, but also very interesting to see how it hasn't changed much at all, too! These days I walk many of the streets depicted in these videos, and having binge-watched all the videos I can find on the subject, it has given me a much deeper appreciation of the trials this city has weathered. (I've got another set of videos for Los Angeles, another city in which I've lived and loved, and it too is very intriguing to see the city evolve over time .. but I'm yet to find a film as old as 1896 for the region, strangely enough..)
- wging 1y ago
  I love the 1896 "what the hell is that" double-takes, where they glance over and then approach the camera. Might've been these people's first experience with one.
BurningFrog 1y ago
The explanation I like is that the exposure times needed for photos back then meant you had to be absolutely still for maybe a full minute. Maintaining a natural looking smile for that long is hard.
tr81 1y ago
> how simultaneously stern everybody looks with no fake smiles They still have stern looks in photos back home in Asia. But when they immigrate to America, everyone starts smiling in photos. My parents had a theory. They noticed that even in real life, Americans smiled more than back home. They think and I agree with them, that back home life is hard for most people and it is hard for people to put a smile on. Sometimes life is too hard for even a fake smile. And even if you have a pretty good life, you do not want to stand out by smiling, especially with a big smile that shows your teeth. People will mock you if you smile too much in photos. In the US, life is easy, comparatively, people are happier and it is easy to smile. And if someone is unhappy, they still want to fit in, so they, at least, put a fake smile on. And I think this can extend to older photos too. Back then life was harder and people did what was natural to them.
- alpaca128 1y ago
  In very early photography the exposure time was so long that people used expressions they could keep up for a while without moving. Europe is comparable to the US in terms of happiness if not better, yet Europeans don't smile as much. Faking a smile is considered weird unless you're a politician in press photos (and those look creepy if you actually look at them closely)
staplung 1y ago
The stern bit is covered in parody form in A Million Ways to Die in the West: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SslNMLO0tw&t=20s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SslNMLO0tw&t=20s

kmarc 1y ago

> how simultaneously stern everybody looks with no fake smiles or hidden gazes. People were willing to just stare at something or somebody odd FWIW, the fake smiles and hidden gazes, to me the least, were always a North American thing. In fact, in Switzerland we have its opposite, the infamous "Swiss stare" :-) https://www.newlyswissed.com/about-the-swiss-stare/ https://www.newlyswissed.com/about-the-swiss-stare/

soco 1y ago
I actually don't like his tone in the article. Why should the Swiss even care what is perceived as rude other countries, staring or whatever? There's this common view that immigrants from poor countries should adapt and integrate, but if they're from western(er) lands they get to judge?
- tough 1y ago
  they're tourists and treat the places they visit like human-zoos
aspect0545 1y ago
Super interesting. I recently learned that a lot of foreigners moving to Germany find that Germans are staring. It’s called the German stare. I wonder if staring is a Germanic thing. https://www.zeit.de/campus/zeit-germany/2023/01/culture-face-to-face https://www.zeit.de/campus/zeit-germany/2023/01/culture-face...
- Boogie_Man 1y ago
  Pro tip for everyone else: start counting with your thumb. For some reason I don't quite understand, my pinky and ring fingers don't operate well independently of one another. This is an issue when counting on my fingers (or attempting a boy scout salute), so I've started counting 1,2,3 from the thumb, 4 with the thumb down and all four fingers up, and 5, of course, with all digits extended. (I could start counting at my pinky, but that just makes me look totally nuts) Edit: If you read the article the comment I replied to posted, it includes thumb first counting as one of the cultural differences people experience when visiting Germany - in addition to the "Germanic Stare" they specifically mention in their comment. Consider actually reading before assuming I'm just typing nonsense - unless responding to titles and comments without reviewing the content they contain is a cultural difference I need a guide to get used to when visiting Hacker News.
  - pavel_lishin 1y ago
    I've started counting in a very weird way, because from an open hand, I can bring my ring finger down to my palm independently, but if I try to bring just my pinky down, the ring finger comes along from the ride. So when I count, I start with a closed fist, then open my thumb, followed by my index finger, then middle, then pinky, then ring finger.
  - cvwright 1y ago
    The pinkie and ring finger share a tendon - this is why they are weaker than the other fingers. Or, at least that’s how it was explained to me as a kid learning to play the double bass. The standard technique is to use those two fingers together to press the string on the upper part of the fingerboard where the most strength is required.
ajkjk 1y ago
American smiles in photos are mostly not fake, fwiw.
- mlinhares 1y ago
  It is incredibly surprising to be told to smile when taking official photos in the US. I just couldn't understand the first time it happened at the DMV, the person kept saying "smile" and i'm like, wtf, why would i smile, this is an official photo for my driver's license.
  - dfinninger 1y ago
    That’s interesting. I’ve been told every time (so far) to keep a “neutral face”. I smiled once and the guy let out a heavy sigh and made me take the photo again (Redwood City, CA DMV).
    - blarg1 1y ago
      same, here in Australia
    - rcyeh 1y ago
      Can confirm. US passport photos want a neutral expression and explicitly say (not in the below page, but elsewhere during the renewal process) not to smile. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-apply/photos.html https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-app...
      - benreis 1y ago
        Strange, one of the example photos has a person smiling. I’ve seen several US passports recently with the person smiling. It must not be an important rule if it’s not clearly communicated or enforced. Especially since some (all?) US states allow smiling in ID photos I would think they would be more explicit about not smiling in passport photos.
    - magicnubs 1y ago

milesrout 1y ago

[dead]

pjc50 1y ago

We're all "media trained" now from a young age to behave like people being filmed or photographed "should" behave. And if you don't quite fit the look, the camera AI selfie mode can tighten up your face for you.

aa-jv 1y ago

>sternness I really enjoy observing this and other changes in social tone visible through the ages in archaic videos .. One of my favourite idle pasttimes is to watch videos on Youtube of digitized film from a bygone era, especially of cities I've lived in, or visited and with which I am familiar. For some reason it is just so interesting, for example, to visit the streets of Vienna from 100+ years ago, and see how folks were living back then. So many well-dressed Viennese, looking sternly at the camera, or merely walking in a steady plod along streets I, too, in the modern era, enjoy. Vienna is particularly interesting because it has a long history with film, and some of them go back to before the widespread adoption of automobiles. It struck me just how easily we overlook the fact that Vienna was built for walking, originally, and all the crazy car life that the city suffers now was grafted on top of routes originally designed to be navigable by foot - or hoof. Just take a look at Vienna, from 1896: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aPvmD6ktZs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aPvmD6ktZs .. to Vienna, 1926: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGbTkQX6R0Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGbTkQX6R0Q .. pre-war Vienna (30's): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA9dHEKD-vM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA9dHEKD-vM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QITjWb29JZ8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QITjWb29JZ8 .. Vienna, 1939: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w96umMf9r3E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w96umMf9r3E .. post-war Vienna: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2VbXdrFXB8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2VbXdrFXB8 .. to Vienna, 1964: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0WCigqJ_wU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0WCigqJ_wU .. and lastly, Vienna in the 80's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WttS-PP-r4o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WttS-PP-r4o Its just so interesting to see how the city has evolved over the century, but also very interesting to see how it hasn't changed much at all, too! These days I walk many of the streets depicted in these videos, and having binge-watched all the videos I can find on the subject, it has given me a much deeper appreciation of the trials this city has weathered. (I've got another set of videos for Los Angeles, another city in which I've lived and loved, and it too is very intriguing to see the city evolve over time .. but I'm yet to find a film as old as 1896 for the region, strangely enough..)

wging 1y ago
I love the 1896 "what the hell is that" double-takes, where they glance over and then approach the camera. Might've been these people's first experience with one.

BurningFrog 1y ago

The explanation I like is that the exposure times needed for photos back then meant you had to be absolutely still for maybe a full minute. Maintaining a natural looking smile for that long is hard.

tr81 1y ago

> how simultaneously stern everybody looks with no fake smiles They still have stern looks in photos back home in Asia. But when they immigrate to America, everyone starts smiling in photos. My parents had a theory. They noticed that even in real life, Americans smiled more than back home. They think and I agree with them, that back home life is hard for most people and it is hard for people to put a smile on. Sometimes life is too hard for even a fake smile. And even if you have a pretty good life, you do not want to stand out by smiling, especially with a big smile that shows your teeth. People will mock you if you smile too much in photos. In the US, life is easy, comparatively, people are happier and it is easy to smile. And if someone is unhappy, they still want to fit in, so they, at least, put a fake smile on. And I think this can extend to older photos too. Back then life was harder and people did what was natural to them.

alpaca128 1y ago
In very early photography the exposure time was so long that people used expressions they could keep up for a while without moving. Europe is comparable to the US in terms of happiness if not better, yet Europeans don't smile as much. Faking a smile is considered weird unless you're a politician in press photos (and those look creepy if you actually look at them closely)

staplung 1y ago

The stern bit is covered in parody form in A Million Ways to Die in the West: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SslNMLO0tw&t=20s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SslNMLO0tw&t=20s