Trivia: What did people often say for photos before “cheese”?
Mint
Prunes
Asparagus
Wine
Correct Answer: Prunes
So why is this answer correct? : Today, we enjoy flashing a wide smile for a photo, but the first Victorian photos were the opposite. Social decorum dictated a small, carefully controlled mouth; so, when Richard Beard, Britain’s first portrait photographer, began taking family portraits, he allegedly told his clients to say “prunes.” This probably helped practically, too, as taking a photo was a long ordeal back in the day, and holding a smile might have become uncomfortable.