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© Getty Images
0 / 29 Fotos
1830s - With photos taking minutes to snap, nobody would attempt to hold a smile for such a long time. So you won't find anyone smiling in these old pictures.
© Getty Images
1 / 29 Fotos
1850s - Things didn't change much a few decades later. People would still not show their teeth. They did, however, start posing in different positions.
© Getty Images
2 / 29 Fotos
1880s - Poses started to become a bit more creative. Though we're not sure if that's a smirk?
© Getty Images
3 / 29 Fotos
1900s - Around 1900, individuals started posing in their typical environment and showing off more about themselves. More and more people were starting to take photographs.
© Getty Images
4 / 29 Fotos
1910s - Smiles, at last! Yes, it seems that people started to relax a bit more around this time.
© Getty Images
5 / 29 Fotos
1910s - Some were even taking photos depicting candid scenes (which were obviously staged).
© Getty Images
6 / 29 Fotos
1920s - This is when posing as we know it started. People wanted to look good for the camera and experimented with different poses.
© Getty Images
7 / 29 Fotos
1920s - During the Roaring Twenties, we started to see pictures of people looking away and not directly into the camera.
© Getty Images
8 / 29 Fotos
1930s - A bit of a left turn: mug shots started to gain popularity in the 1930s and 1940s.
© Getty Images
9 / 29 Fotos
1940s - The 1940s were all about big smiles. In fact, this is when people started using the phrase "say cheese!"
© Getty Images
10 / 29 Fotos
1940s - Another classic pose from the 1940s was the over the shoulder shot.
© Getty Images
11 / 29 Fotos
1950s - In the 1950s, we started to see more glamorous poses. Celebrity culture started to influence how people posed for photos.
© Getty Images
12 / 29 Fotos
1960s - The 1960s were all about the power pose.
© Getty Images
13 / 29 Fotos
1960s - Eccentric outfits and confident superhero-like poses marked the decade.
© Getty Images
14 / 29 Fotos
1970s - In the 1970s, we started to see more candid photos. People wanted to look more natural.
© Getty Images
15 / 29 Fotos
1970s - People would even pose to make it look candid (even though we can easily see this is a staged scene).
© Getty Images
16 / 29 Fotos
1980s - Strike a pose! The 1980s were the decade of the pose par excellence. From pop stars to supermodels, everyone would strike a cool '80s pose for photos.
© Getty Images
17 / 29 Fotos
1980s - This was one of the go-to poses in the 1980s. Maybe their heads felt really heavy?
© Getty Images
18 / 29 Fotos
1980s - The '80s wouldn't be the '80s without striking a rock band pose, right? And yes, that's Ricky Martin on the left. You're welcome.
© Getty Images
19 / 29 Fotos
1980s - And when in doubt, just give yourself a nice cuddle.
© Getty Images
20 / 29 Fotos
1990s - During the '90s, you wanted to look cool, aloof, and to give off a "I don't care" vibe.
© Getty Images
21 / 29 Fotos
1990s - With hip-hop culture booming, the '90s were the perfect time to pull a cool pose.
© Getty Images
22 / 29 Fotos
2000-2010 - Making gestures with your hands for photos was a thing at the turn of the century. Go figure.
© Getty Images
23 / 29 Fotos
2000-2010 - And looking as silly as possible too. Digital photography meant that you could get rid of a silly picture in seconds, so it was safer.
© Getty Images
24 / 29 Fotos
2000-2010 - Forced perspective photos were also a thing around this time.
© Getty Images
25 / 29 Fotos
2000-2010 - Who has never held the sun once or twice?
© Shutterstock
26 / 29 Fotos
2010-2020 - The last decade has been all about the selfie. From duck lips to bunny filters, it's all about me, myself, and I.
© Getty Images
27 / 29 Fotos
2010-2020
- And, of course, taking dangerous photos in crazy locations to show the world how cool we are. "Pics or it didn't happen," right? See also: Perfectly-timed wildlife photos
© Shutterstock
28 / 29 Fotos
© Getty Images
0 / 29 Fotos
1830s - With photos taking minutes to snap, nobody would attempt to hold a smile for such a long time. So you won't find anyone smiling in these old pictures.
© Getty Images
1 / 29 Fotos
1850s - Things didn't change much a few decades later. People would still not show their teeth. They did, however, start posing in different positions.
© Getty Images
2 / 29 Fotos
1880s - Poses started to become a bit more creative. Though we're not sure if that's a smirk?
© Getty Images
3 / 29 Fotos
1900s - Around 1900, individuals started posing in their typical environment and showing off more about themselves. More and more people were starting to take photographs.
© Getty Images
4 / 29 Fotos
1910s - Smiles, at last! Yes, it seems that people started to relax a bit more around this time.
© Getty Images
5 / 29 Fotos
1910s - Some were even taking photos depicting candid scenes (which were obviously staged).
© Getty Images
6 / 29 Fotos
1920s - This is when posing as we know it started. People wanted to look good for the camera and experimented with different poses.
© Getty Images
7 / 29 Fotos
1920s - During the Roaring Twenties, we started to see pictures of people looking away and not directly into the camera.
© Getty Images
8 / 29 Fotos
1930s - A bit of a left turn: mug shots started to gain popularity in the 1930s and 1940s.
© Getty Images
9 / 29 Fotos
1940s - The 1940s were all about big smiles. In fact, this is when people started using the phrase "say cheese!"
© Getty Images
10 / 29 Fotos
1940s - Another classic pose from the 1940s was the over the shoulder shot.
© Getty Images
11 / 29 Fotos
1950s - In the 1950s, we started to see more glamorous poses. Celebrity culture started to influence how people posed for photos.
© Getty Images
12 / 29 Fotos
1960s - The 1960s were all about the power pose.
© Getty Images
13 / 29 Fotos
1960s - Eccentric outfits and confident superhero-like poses marked the decade.
© Getty Images
14 / 29 Fotos
1970s - In the 1970s, we started to see more candid photos. People wanted to look more natural.
© Getty Images
15 / 29 Fotos
1970s - People would even pose to make it look candid (even though we can easily see this is a staged scene).
© Getty Images
16 / 29 Fotos
1980s - Strike a pose! The 1980s were the decade of the pose par excellence. From pop stars to supermodels, everyone would strike a cool '80s pose for photos.
© Getty Images
17 / 29 Fotos
1980s - This was one of the go-to poses in the 1980s. Maybe their heads felt really heavy?
© Getty Images
18 / 29 Fotos
1980s - The '80s wouldn't be the '80s without striking a rock band pose, right? And yes, that's Ricky Martin on the left. You're welcome.
© Getty Images
19 / 29 Fotos
1980s - And when in doubt, just give yourself a nice cuddle.
© Getty Images
20 / 29 Fotos
1990s - During the '90s, you wanted to look cool, aloof, and to give off a "I don't care" vibe.
© Getty Images
21 / 29 Fotos
1990s - With hip-hop culture booming, the '90s were the perfect time to pull a cool pose.
© Getty Images
22 / 29 Fotos
2000-2010 - Making gestures with your hands for photos was a thing at the turn of the century. Go figure.
© Getty Images
23 / 29 Fotos
2000-2010 - And looking as silly as possible too. Digital photography meant that you could get rid of a silly picture in seconds, so it was safer.
© Getty Images
24 / 29 Fotos
2000-2010 - Forced perspective photos were also a thing around this time.
© Getty Images
25 / 29 Fotos
2000-2010 - Who has never held the sun once or twice?
© Shutterstock
26 / 29 Fotos
2010-2020 - The last decade has been all about the selfie. From duck lips to bunny filters, it's all about me, myself, and I.
© Getty Images
27 / 29 Fotos
2010-2020
- And, of course, taking dangerous photos in crazy locations to show the world how cool we are. "Pics or it didn't happen," right? See also: Perfectly-timed wildlife photos
© Shutterstock
28 / 29 Fotos
How posing for photos has changed through the years
How much have our poses changed since we started taking pictures?
© Getty Images
Photography has been around for quite some time. Yet while in the 19th century it was a difficult and expensive endeavor, it's now accessible to just about everyone. Speaking of, have you ever looked at old photos of yourself and cringed at your pose? Well, as with other sociocultural aspects, the way we pose for photos has changed throughout history. What was hot in 1960 probably looks a bit silly to us in 2020.
But really, how much did our poses actually change since we started taking pictures? In this gallery, you'll find a selection of photos taken throughout the years that illustrate exactly how we used to pose. Browse through and see how many you can remember!
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