Long before we all had cameras in our hands every day, it took 8 hours to create a photograph. In 1826, Joseph Nicephore Niepce created the first photograph that remains to this day. It was a “photo” of an ink drawing of a boy and a horse. Back then, the equipment was bulky and the exposure time required the participants to not move at all, which is why no one is smiling in old photographs. As time went on, and technology advanced, photography became more accessible to the average person.
With the rise of the “snap” shot in the early 1900’s, folks loosened up a bit and had more fun with their photos. The new approach led to the subjects wanting to smile in their pictures and a phrase was needed to get people to naturally smile. But “Say Cheese” was not the first phrase used to get that smile. “Prunes” was the initial phrase followed by “Whiskey” in the 1920’s. In the 1930’s, the popular phrase was “cheese and crackers” which was shortened to “cheese” which is the perfect phrase to get a big smile.
Thanks to the contributors to the May exhibit, Bob Bellew, an avid collector of all things, including cameras and bits of history and Brent Wallace, official Alley Photographer who has taken many memorable and fascinating photos in Hattiesburg and around the world.
