Not just on Russian photographs. Dig up your grand-grand-parent photos and have a look - same expressions. It probably stems from the need to pose for photograp

Not just on Russian photographs. Dig up your grand-grand-parent photos and have a look - same expressions. It probably stems from the need to pose for photographs in daguerreotype times, back when they sat you in a chair and hold your head with a clamp, all because of an insanely long exposure that was required. Do that for 20-30 years and a somber expression on the photograms becomes a social norm, even if the technology moves forward.