The Museum Ludwig Photography Rooms is currently presenting "Smile! How the Smile Came Into Photography," an exhibition that examines the fascinating evolution of facial expressions in portrait photography over time. The comprehensive display brings together a collection of both anonymous and artistic photographic portraits spanning from the 19th to the 21st centuries, tracing the cultural and technological history of the smile in photography.

The exhibition explores how our decision to smile or not when photographed, and whether we show our teeth, depends largely on prevailing social norms and available photographic technology. In 1878, photographer Josef Janssen made a keen observation about the challenges of early portrait photography, noting that "the embarrassing situation in which a person finds themselves at the moment they are being photographed is enough in itself to prevent them from showing their true personality. Motionless, with a fixed gaze, their head resting on that dreadful and detestable headrest, they are asked for a certain time to stare at a point in space that generally offers nothing interesting to look at. How could this produce anything other than stiffness and absence of life?"

The rarity of smiles in 19th-century studio photography reflected not only technical limitations but also the social conventions of the era regarding appropriate appearance in portraits. These norms were based on conventional ideas about class, gender, and context, with emotions considered a private matter that had no place in formal portraiture. The rigid formality of early photographic portraits mirrored the social expectations of the time.

The emergence of silent cinema played a pivotal role in bringing smiles into 20th-century portraits. In silent films, facial expressions served as the primary means of conveying emotions, with close-up shots filling the frame to capture these nuanced expressions. This cinematic influence coincided with a shift in portrait photography, as bust portraits increasingly replaced full-body shots, allowing for greater focus on facial expressions.

The rise of advertising further accelerated the prevalence of smiles in photography. In commercial imagery, the bright, radiant smiles of actors embodied the appeal and desirability of products being marketed. As advertising became more sophisticated and widespread, the corners of mouths began turning upward more and more frequently in photographic imagery.

A 2015 study examining student portraits in American high school yearbooks demonstrated that smiling in photographs has steadily increased since the early 20th century. The research findings confirmed that women smile more frequently than men in photographic portraits, a pattern that has remained consistent over time. This trend toward increased facial expressiveness has been observed worldwide, reflecting broader cultural shifts in how people present themselves in photographs.

Interestingly, fashion photography presents a notable exception to this trend toward increased smiling. In the fashion world, status and "coolness" are often expressed through minimal smiles or serious expressions, suggesting that different photographic contexts maintain distinct conventions for appropriate facial expressions.

As early as 1927, sociologist Siegfried Kracauer observed that the world, and consequently the human beings who inhabit it, had adopted what he termed a "photographic face." The Museum Ludwig exhibition demonstrates that this observation remains relevant today and that the smile itself has a rich and complex history worth examining.

The exhibition is accompanied by a comprehensive publication that provides additional context and analysis. "Smile! How the Smile Came Into Photography" will remain on display until March 22, 2026, at the Museum Ludwig Photography Rooms, located at Heinrich-Böll-Platz in Cologne, Germany. The museum can be reached at 49-221-221-26165, and additional information is available at www.museum-ludwig.de.