The family photograph

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

The photographer pressed Mr Bell’s hand flat against the chair and turned Mrs Bell’s face towards the window. Clara stood between them, her back rigid, while her little brother Edwin stared into the black mouth of the camera. Nobody was to blink. Nobody was to speak. Even Clara’s smile seemed pinned into place. The photographer disappeared beneath his cloth, and the clock ticked with an insolent loudness as he began to count.

At the final number, Edwin sneezed. A chair scraped; Mrs Bell’s head turned; Clara’s imprisoned smile escaped into a laugh. For a moment, the photographer remained hidden. Then the black cloth began to tremble, and a chuckle emerged from underneath it. Soon even Mr Bell was wiping his eyes. The first plate was lost, but when the family arranged themselves again, they stood closer without being instructed. This time, Clara did not have to manufacture her smile.

Analyse how the writer uses language and structure to show how the sitting changes from a strained occasion into a shared joke. Support your answer with references to the passage.