You May Now Shake the Bride's Hand

They're probably not even married. She has a ring on her  finger, but that doesn't mean she's married to him.  This portrait of an unknown couple was made by Schneider, a photographer in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Both subjects of this lost portrait are fancily dressed and stiffly posed against a painted backdrop. To the man's right there is an ornate frame that contains a display of other portrait photographs. Could Schneider have been working at a social event, making obligatory souvenir pictures, like they do at every tourist attraction here in Chicago? That might explain the icy handshake, the disparate gazes in opposite directions, and their apparent mutual disinterest in even being there at all.

Portrait of a Man and Woman, Both Appear to be Angry

This is an example of a truly lost portrait. This image was not a part of an album, a scrapbook, or even a pile. It has no markings that suggest a photographer, a location, or any context at all.
In the early days of photography, plates and films were less sensitive to light, and required subjects to sit perfectly still (to avoid blurriness) during long exposures.  Perhaps a faked smile was too hard to hold.  Even still, could this possibly be the best of the bunch?