American presidents started smiling for their official portraits
in the mid 1970s or so. Of course, they smiled for informal
pictures before that. Many cameras captured FDR with his famous
smile. Rockwell painted Eisenhower for two Post covers in a
rubbery grin. Jimmy Carter’s toothy smile was a big subject
during his campaign. But for the official and semi-official
pictures, up until 30 or 40 years ago, presidents usually kept
their faces dignified and serious. After Reagan, the full-on
toothy smile (which is a very different challenge to paint) was
here to stay. Why the change? Was it the inevitable outcome of
photography or was it the result of campaigning on television?
Are there other jobs that still demand a serious portrait, such
as a Supreme Court justice, district attorney, or an undertaker?