It seems like back then people were smiling to a passerby and not to the camera. They'd keep a stern face when they were knowingly photographed.
Now we smile for the camera, but not so much to a stranger.
Now we smile for the camera, but not so much to a stranger.
you could get same reaction even nowadays depending on country, obviously you wouldn't have much success in Eastern Europe, where (many) people consider smiling at stranger as sign of mental illness (at least if it's same gender)
I think you misunderstood their point. In the past people who knew they were about to get photographed tended not to smile. Now people tend to smile.
TheSocialAndrew perceives that people now tend not to smile at strangers where as these candid photos show people a hundred years ago smiling at strangers.
That's fine. I am not arguing one way or the other. My point is that it is easier to get a response if you focus on the main point of disagreement.
In this case, the disagreement is, 'Is it common nowadays to smile at strangers on the street in Oslo, Norway (Where the original pictures were taken)?'
TheSocialAndrew says no, Markoff says yes.
Edit: Maybe a better question would be, 'Where in the world is it currently common to smile at strangers?'