[nwrep]

They only did that for dead people, not for people who were alive. That photo is a composite reproduction.

[Bob434]

sorry but they didn’t ‘only do that for dead people’ - you can find all kinds of info on how rigorous getting photos done back then was- the folks had to stay as still as possible for a long time, and often they had to be propped to keep their head from moving because of the length of time it took-

[Bob434]

“Posing for a daguerreotype wasn’t trivial: because the exposure time is about 15 minutes, the subject’s head had to be held still with a clamp!”

https://www.neatorama.com/2006/08/29/the-wonderful-world-of-early-photography/

[Bob434]

 

Device to hold heads still during the long exposure time required to make a daguerreotype portrait

link

Not sure why you are suggesting they only did that for dead people- long exposure times were very common in the old days and peopel often had to have soemthing to rest their heads agaisnt to keep from moving as best as possible- you will also note that not al ot of folks were smiling in the old photos- which likely was because they couldn't hold the smile for that length of time without moving their lips or mouths- it is claiemd- which is entirely possible. Also- photographers used heavy makeup