Yawning for the Camera?

Becky Wiseman of kinexxions will be hosting the 6th Edition of Smile For the Camera – a Carnival of Images. The word prompt for this edition is Funny Bone with readers invited to show a picture that never fails to bring a smile to their face. My entry into the carnival is the above photograph. From the first time I saw the above image many years ago, the photo has always brought a smile to my face. To me, it looks as if the subject was caught yawning the moment the photographer captured the image with the camera.

The subject of the portrait is William F. Waters, known as “Uncle Billy” to the locals in the town of Mantachie here in Itawamba County. William F. Waters was born July 18, 1839 in Georgia. He and his wife Tabitha are listed in the 1860 Itawamba County census in the Ozark community. Subsequent census records show him living in Baldwyn in neighboring Lee County (1870 census), Marietta in neighboring Prentiss County (1880 and 1900 censuses) and at Mantachie in Itawamba County (1910 and 1920 censuses). According to the census records, after the death of his wife Tabitha (died January 29, 1904), he married again. He and his second wife Jane are listed in the 1910 and 1920 census records. William F. Waters died on January 26, 1926 and was buried in the Stephens Cemetery just off River Road east of Mantachie.