At the best of times it wasn't a relaxing activity to pose for a photograph (front and back):
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Some sort of leaning appliance was a necessity for exposures more than 30 seconds or so, and the naturalistic pose was pretty much beyond most subjects:

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Some subjects end up looking even dimmer than they ordinarily did:

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It's so homelike to have a handy amphora or ewer or something:
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Some contrive a pensive or studious look:
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...and some go for the jaunty with legs akimbo:
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...but others are just deer in the headlights of convention:
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