Empress Dowager Cixi took many photos. Why does she never smile in the photo?

There are three main reasons: first, photography technology was underdeveloped at that time, and it took about 10 to 15 minutes from the beginning to the end, so it was difficult to keep smiling; Secondly, Cixi is a very conservative person, so she thinks taking pictures is a very serious matter. Thirdly, Cixi never smiles because she thinks that smiling when taking pictures will leave wrinkles. To sum up, even though Cixi left so many photos, her expression was serious and there was no photo with a smile.

Let's talk about this first point! Because the camera was just introduced to China at that time, and the photography technology was not developed, it took at least ten minutes from the moment the shutter was pressed to the exposure of the film, and it might take fifteen minutes if it was longer. Therefore, if Cixi keeps smiling, it is estimated that the muscles on her face will be stiff, so Cixi usually does not smile when taking pictures.

Secondly, taking pictures was not so common then. Even if you are Cixi, it is impossible to say that you take pictures. Generally, I will take photos on formal occasions or when there are important things. Cixi believes that taking photos is a major event that needs to be taken seriously, so every time she takes photos, she will be particularly serious and unsmiling.

Thirdly, Cixi is a woman who loves beauty very much. If she smiles and takes a photo, there will be wrinkles on her face, and she will not be beautiful in the photo. Cixi thinks that wrinkles on her face will look old and ugly, so she doesn't smile when taking pictures, because she is afraid of wrinkles when she smiles. These three points are the reasons why Cixi doesn't smile when taking pictures.