We present the first direct imaging of swollen lamellar phases by transmission electron microscopy on thin vitrified liquid films. We were able to obtain good contrast of the surfactant membranes. The micrographs allow the description of the microstructure of the phases and demonstrate the differences between electrostatically and sterically stabilized lamellar phases: the first ones consist of rigid and well-ordered membranes whereas the latter consist of soft and fluctuating membranes.