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Victorian Humour @VictorianHumour
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In 1875 a man named George Vasey published a book on 'The Philosophy of Laughter and Smiling.' He mounted a whole-hearted assault on the moral and physiological evils of laughter, but was more complimentary about smiling.
Full Text: archive.org/details/philos…
#NationalSmileDay
The first two pages of Chapter XV provide a good insight into George Vasey's thoughts about laughter..
archive.org/stream/philoso…
#NationalSmileDay
Vasey was particularly damning about mothers and nurses who tickled their children and thereby induced them into the injurious - and sometimes FATAL - habit of laughing.
In fact, he devoted most of the book's appendix to the evils of tickling!
The contents pages from George Vasey's 'Philosophy of Laughter and Smiling' (1875) are delightfully eccentric. He REALLY didn't like laughter!
#NationalSmileDay
Here's what a sceptical reviewer from The Spectator made of it: "But ridicule, anger, and argument would be alike wasted on such a writer. Our readers will anyhow find in the book and its illustrations a complete antidote to the writer's gloomy and fantastic "philosophy.""
The highlights of George Vasey's 'Philosophy of Laughter and Smiling' (1875) are undoubtedly to be found amongst its illustrations. Brace yourself to see some classifications of laughter, starting with... 'The Giggling Laugh'!
'The Obstreperous Laugh'
- from George Vasey's 'Philosophy of Laughter and Smiling' (1875)
'The Hearty Laugh of the Gentler Sex'
- from George Vasey's 'Philosophy of Laughter and Smiling' (1875)

As you've probably gathered, Vasey condemned laughter and the disfiguring effect it had on people's countenances.
'The Stentorian Laugh of the Stronger Sex'
- from George Vasey's 'Philosophy of Laughter and Smiling' (1875)
'The Superlative Laugh, or Highest Degree of Laughter'
- from George Vasey's 'Philosophy of Laughter and Smiling' (1875)

side note: I was going to use this as the logo for this project, but the wonderful @GrandiloquentWo got there first!
A collection of smiles from George Vasey's 'Philosophy of Laughter and Smiling' (1875)
#NationalSmileDay
More bizarre illustrations from George Vasey's 'Philosophy of Laughter and Smiling' (1875)
#NationalSmileDay
'The Self-conceited Smile, or the Smile of Self Esteem'
Starring... Tom Hanks?!

- from George Vasey's 'Philosophy of Laughter and Smiling' (1875)
#NationalSmileDay
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