Meanderer
Supreme Member

"There is a certain impression that
Queen Victoria did not have a sense
of humour. This is in fact false. The
impression was gained for three
primary reasons."
"Most of the pictures people see of the
Queen show her with a blank
expression. The first thing to
consider is that photography was still
in its infancy at the time. Camera
exposure times were long meaning
one had to keep still for extended
periods of time. Smiling was only good if you wanted a blurry
picture."
"The second consideration was that the Queen felt that if she
smiled in public the people might think her frivolous. She was
anxious to avoid this as she was unpopular during the early
part of her reign. In private she is said to have often "roared
with laughter". Indeed a photo from 1887 shows her to be in
much better spirits in public."
READ MORE
