
A collection of hilarious black-and-white photographs proves that the Victorians were not boring - with men and women posing for pictures while messing around and pulling funny faces.

The candid photographs, most of which were taken in the 19th century, show men and women sticking their tongues out and even balancing cups of tea on their bosoms.

In one image taken around 1910, a woman is seen posing cross-eyed and pulling a peculiar face while a Scottish family can be seen cross-dressing in another iconic image.

It is rare to see images of Victorian people pulling faces in photographs as the exposure time for a photograph in the late 1800s was several seconds.

The several-second exposure meant that the subject had to stand very still and holding a smile for a picture was often difficult - and could lead to a blurred photograph.

As a result, Victorian subjects would often pose with blank and unsmiling faces for photographs making photographic evidence of smiling or laughing Victorians extremely rare.

But it seems even Queen Victoria ignored the rule and was photographed smiling at the end of the 19th century when she visited Aldershot in Hampshire.

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A woman posed for a hilarious photograph while resting two cups of tea on her breasts (left). Meanwhile, Queen Victoria (right) was also seen smiling in this photograph which was taken towards the end of the 19th century in Aldershot, Hampshire

Four Victorian women were photographed messing around on a beach in the 1890s. It was unusual for those being photographed in the 19th century to do anything but strike a blank pose

Two men and two women were seen messing around in another funny picture which makes up this set of Victorian photographs. The picture, believed to have been taken in the 1890s, shows the well-dressed group leaning back in a bizarre dance routine

A woman pulled a funny face when she was having her picture taken in 1910 (left), while another woman (right) made a piggy face when she posed for the camera

A Victorian couple were seen playing and messing around with each other just moments after getting married in 1900

A Victorian family rested their heads on each other and smiled at the camera when they posed for a photograph inside their home in 1900

Three male students at Yale University in Connecticut in 1883 (left) were pictured humorously cross-dressing in one photo and two British Victorian women made a 'snow lady' in 1892 (right)

A smiling Victorian woman looked happy as she posed with her dog. It was unusual to see men and woman at that time smile for the camera as they would typically pose with blank faces

Three Victorian women posed together and used their hands to gesture towards the camera (left), while a group of men and women in the 1890s stood behind each other to create a striking picture (right)

A woman who was wearing traditional Victorian clothing pulled a funny face as she stood in front of house when posing for a photograph

Tsar Nicholas II was photographed messing around with his friends more than 100 years ago in 1899. He was the last Emperor of Russia

Tsar Nicholas II (left) was photographed playing with his friends in 1899 and the three men seemed to be enjoying themselves

A Victorian woman was photographed using a skipping rope and was snapped as she was jumping in the air (left). Meanwhile, Richard Freiherr Von Krafft-Ebing, a German psychiatrist (right), wore high heels and was fanning himself as he posed for a picture

A couple were seen having fun on the beach in Atlantic City, New Jersey, US, in 1897. The man was seen holding the woman as the tide came in