To force the lips into a smile, the
word “cheese” causes a person to position their teeth and then
part their lips into a somewhat aesthetically pleasing grimace. But
when did this word enter the language as a means to get perfect
photos?
One of the first references to “cheese”
as a photographic strategy was in a 1943 article in The Big Spring
Herald:
“It comes from former Ambassador
Joseph E. Davies and is guaranteed to make you look pleasant no
matter what you’re thinking. Mr. Davies disclosed the formula while
having his own picture taken on the set of his 'Mission to Moscow.'
It’s simple. Just say 'Cheese,' It’s an automatic smile. 'I
learned that from a politician,' Mr. Davies chuckled.”
Who was this “politician”? It is
believed this could be then-president Franklin D. Roosevelt. It's not
clear if Roosevelt coined the phrase or if he got it from another
source.
As a interesting side note, non-English
speaking cultures have developed their own versions of the “cheese”
trick. In Mexico and Argentina, they say 'whisky' and in France, 'dit
souris' ('say mouse').
During the Victorian era (1837-1901) it
is rumored that photographers told their subjects to say “prunes.”
This produced a much more mild facial expression than “cheese.”
This helped people keep a small mouth with firmly closed lips.
There were a few reasons behind this
trend of unsmiling photos. These neutral expressions were used
because photographs required a very long exposure time along with
poor dental hygeine.
When Kodak came along and photos could
be captured more quickly and by just about anyone, smiles came in
vogue. More casual moments were caught on film, taking with them
every expression the human face can make.
And then we evolved to what is now
known as the “duck face.”
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