# People in 1905 really did laugh—a timeless photo **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 10, 2010, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183 "2010-07-10T03:06:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/81 "2010-07-12T18:26:43Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Can anybody tell if any of the people from that photo are [in this one](http://www.shorpy.com/node/8508?size=_original)? (Same site, also Atlantic City 1905, but I don’t know if it’s same day/same group.) Don’t know, but check the dude in the sombrero toward the right in the background. ---
**Author:** ![myriad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@myriad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myriad)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/82 "2010-07-12T18:33:58Z")
You know what the very first thing I notice is?? None of them are overweight. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/83 "2010-07-12T18:36:37Z")
Eh, some of them seem to be. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/84 "2010-07-12T18:39:34Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Can anybody tell if any of the people from that photo are [in this one](http://www.shorpy.com/node/8508?size=_original)? (Same site, also Atlantic City 1905, but I don’t know if it’s same day/same group.) Definitely. Look at the girl sitting in the sand and looking at the camera- she’s from the first picture for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/85 "2010-07-12T18:52:40Z")
> [@myriad](#): > > You know what the very first thing I notice is?? > > None of them are overweight. There’s a fat lady in the second picture. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/86 "2010-07-12T18:55:17Z")
[Sailing tailors, 1896](http://www.shorpy.com/node/8152?size=_original). How the hell did they get that cat to sit still for however long it took for that picture to be taken? And how long before the guy holding it decided to eat it? ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/87 "2010-07-12T19:21:23Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > [Sailing tailors, 1896](http://www.shorpy.com/node/8152?size=_original). How the hell did they get that cat to sit still for however long it took for that picture to be taken? And how long before the guy holding it decided to eat it? What I noticed (the manners of the cat and dog aside), was how well-made these sailor’s uniforms were-the seams were all straight and tight, and their shoes were of high quality. Of course, the US Navy was always a spit and polish outfit. But these guys were surely top class. ---
**Author:** ![myriad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@myriad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myriad)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/88 "2010-07-12T19:41:44Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > There’s a fat lady in the second picture. I didn’t look at any other pictures. Also the poster that said “some look like they are” well…maybe, a bit, but certainly not what “overweight” looks like today. I just thought if you were to take the same type of group at the beach today it would be a glaring difference, sort of like the lack of sunglasses-IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/89 "2010-07-12T20:00:15Z")
> [@fuzzypickles](#): > > This kind of discussion makes me wonder what people 100 years in the future will think of YouTube videos. I suspect they won’t think anything about them, because they’ll have long since faded into wherever data in obsolete formats go to die. I think about this quite a bit, actually, because I spend a lot of time looking at old snapshots and vacation photos and so on. Right now, we take tons of pictures. More so than any other time in history - everybody and their brother has a camera. But very, very few of them exist in hard copy. Same with blogs - we write about our lives endlessly, but only in digital format. No one is going to find your youtube videos in a trunk in the attic. No one is going to buy your dusty blog 100 years from now in a junk shop and take it home to read. No one is going to dig out a stack of your digital photos from under a floorboard and wonder at the funny shoes and sunglasses. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/90 "2010-07-12T20:05:15Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > Definitely. Look at the girl sitting in the sand and looking at the camera- she’s from the first picture for sure. Huh? Where do you see her in the first pic? ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/91 "2010-07-13T02:37:53Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > [Sailing tailors, 1896](http://www.shorpy.com/node/8152?size=_original). How the hell did they get that cat to sit still for however long it took for that picture to be taken? And how long before the guy holding it decided to eat it? OMG that made me ill. The look in that guys eyes is exactly the look my ex used to get. Not a single other thing makes them look alike, but he’s a dead ringer nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/92 "2010-07-13T02:44:24Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > [Sailing tailors, 1896](http://www.shorpy.com/node/8152?size=_original). How the hell did they get that cat to sit still for however long it took for that picture to be taken? And how long before the guy holding it decided to eat it? I wonder how the shutter speeds would compare to my cell phone’s camera, for example. I can get fairly decent photos of people smiling and what not if they’re standing still, but if there’s a bit of movement it looks a lot like the result in these photos – a hand or face just blurred a bit if someone happened to move. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/93 "2010-07-13T03:25:09Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Huh? Where do you see her in the first pic? I thought she was the one getting her face held in the first one. ---
**Author:** ![Quintas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/48db29/32.png) [@Quintas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quintas)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/94 "2010-07-13T03:29:15Z")
> [@aaelghat](#): > > One difference between this photo and a modern one, is the conspicuous lack of sunglasses. check this one out. I didn’t expect to see a 1905 lady sporting shades: [![](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/4a27432u.jpg) ](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/4a27432u.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/95 "2010-07-13T06:50:31Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > I thought she was the one getting her face held in the first one. Different dress. The edging on it, the sleeves, and collar are all different. To me her face looks different, too, but that’s hard to tell without the professional smiler doing his part. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/96 "2010-07-13T10:08:17Z")
> [@Quintas](#): > > check this one out. I didn’t expect to see a 1905 lady sporting shades: > > [http://www.shorpy.com/files/images/4a27432u.jpg](http://www.shorpy.com/files/images/4a27432u.jpg) No worky ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/97 "2010-07-13T13:33:58Z")
That happened to me yesterday, too. Copy’n’paste the url and it works. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/98 "2010-07-13T14:14:10Z")
> [@antonio107](#): > > How long would they have to hold a pose for in 1905? Not that long. The ripples in the water aren’t blurred. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/99 "2010-07-13T14:43:19Z")
Here’s a group I haven’t seen in any of these old photos — [a group of black folks](http://www.shorpy.com/node/6469?size=_original) enjoying the beach. ---
**Author:** ![Cadence](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Cadence](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cadence)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183/100 "2010-07-13T14:59:47Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > [Sailing tailors, 1896](http://www.shorpy.com/node/8152?size=_original). How the hell did they get that cat to sit still for however long it took for that picture to be taken? And how long before the guy holding it decided to eat it? And you know what totally skeeves me out is that cat and dog are probably dead now 😃 Seriously, there must have been a lot more drownings back then because once those bathing suits got wet they must have weighed a ton. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-1905-really-did-laugh-a-timeless-photo/546183.md?page=6)