Recently we've shared a look into the bedrooms of Americans, and today the house tour continues. This time it's thanks to a Milwaukee-based professional photographer called Lois Bielefeld, who traveled the States (and parts of Luxembourg) documenting people during their Weeknight dinnertimes, revealing the amazing variety of people and their habits.
“I’m super nosy about people’s habits,” Lois explained to Feature Shoot. “I’ve always craved going into people’s homes- it’s inspiring, curious. It gives so many sometimes subtle and sometimes blatant insights about someone, and I just love to reveal that in my photography art.”
Some of the people you see have already been featured in her other photo series, but some are complete strangers to the photographer, found online and through old-fashioned info bulletins.
The only instructions Bielefeld shared with everyone was to go about their dinner plans as they normally would on any given weeknight, capturing the ordinary meals and the casualness of the whole thing.
While Lois suspected that some people did put extra effort in preparing for that particular dinner meals, she doesn't mind, because it only gives the series new layers to explore.
More info: Lois Bielefeld (h/t: demilked)
This post may include affiliate links.
Thursday: Frances & Joan
Monday: Joalice
I know you guys are all being kind, and that is very sweet, but I think assuming she is lonely is a mistake. I am alone by choice and often eat alone, and I know many other people who are the same. Being alone is not always the same as being lonely. I've been married twice and was more lonely during those marriages than I have ever been when I am on my own. Some of us just prefer our own companionship.
Wednesday: Willie Mae
I actually think this is beautiful. She's very creative and has a wonderful eye for decor. It doesn't look lonely to me. It looks like someone who eats alone, but probably has a vibrant personality and life.
It took me a few seconds to find her since she kinda blends in with the flowers on the table lol
From a design point of view, you have to appreciate how much of a time capsule this room is. This woman has character, and I have many meals with her just to hear her story.
She looks like very lovely lady but the room kind of... hurts my feelings. It looks sad to me for some reason
I think it looks warm and comfy but should get herself a tv dinner table one of the little foldaway ones
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Looks like a lonely lady. I'd probably take the picture and then sit down with her.
I almost missed the dear lady in her beautiful surroundings. I thought it was a lamp until I saw the plate. :)
I'm thinking why eat in the living room and risk getting that nice furniture and stuff dirty? Surely there must be a table and chairs, either kitchen or dining room.
You KNOW she has some stories to tell. I could listen to her for hours.
Unnecessary oppulence. Her expression is as if her privacy's been invaded.?
Omg.i could barely find here she blends in with her decor. Looks like she’s never lonely I bet she’s got a nice big tv to watch
Gross opulence. She doesn't even look happy. Guilty? Can't decipher visually. Maybe it's a sad smile?
I would love to sit down and have coffee with this woman...she looks fascinating.
Big living room with no dinning room. Or a lonely person perhaps. Really sad photo
Many black women/families have a room like this that seems like a parlor for entertaining but not for everyday use. It is sad to me, too, because it represents an ideal of what constitutes home by setting up a room that exists in frozen isolation until 'company comes" then is dusted off to impress. I've seen plastic on the sofas, sheets, etc., to keep them looking new. Most of them will have a picture of MLK and Jesus in them. They are definitely a time capsule. My guess is this lady does NOT eat in here everyday but would not be photographed anywhere else but in this 'for special company' room. If she has a cat, I'll bet even the cat is not allowed in!
Load More Replies... Looks like a lonely lady. I'd probably take the picture and then sit down with her.
I would be afraid of spilling. Her light colored furniture...Oooo...What a brave woman!
I don't see sadness...many women love lots of flowers. Mine included. What I LOVE is the photo (or painting?) behind her head, of her holding her baby. ;-D
Load More Replies...Wednesday: Norbert & Marie-Josée
Monday: Zoe, Dave, Emma, And Karen
Monday: Rina And Giuseppe
Monday: Steven And Jomo
Tuesday: Alex, Sophia, Kathy, David, Claudia, Eva & Ana
This one looks quite disturbing. A fancy dining room with a single casserole on the table, a father with a blank stare, a mother with a "help me" stare, and kids with various faces ranging from "What am I doing here?" to "Is that the face I'm supposed to make?".
Wednesday: Marc & Jan
Wednesday: Glynis, Liam, Jorin, And Mona
Wednesday: Nik
Thursday: David And Cathy
Wednesday: Kathy
Tuesday: Seynabou, Rui James And Marie
Wednesday: Danno And Amelia
Monday: Paul & Linda
Monday: David, Felix, & Dani
Tuesday: John And Janet
Wednesday: Nathaniel
Wednesday: Natalia And Maryanne
Wednesday: Summer
Wednesday: Ernesto
Monday: Dennis & Denise
Monday: Joel And Florence
Tuesday: Cheri & Allen
Monday: Nuco
Tuesday: Juanita And John
Monday: Eric And Sally
Thursday: Bob, Franki, And Joe
Wednesday: Leo And Michael
Wednesday: Colin And Makeal
I love the furniture "on a budget". Lawn chair and the wood/wicker table/chair was probably found on the curb or for $1 at a yard sale. Been there, done that!
Monday: Jude
Wednesday: Emilio, Rhonda, Benedetto, Skylrae, Jacomo
Wednesday: Irena And Steve
Tuesday: Alden & Alan
Wednesday: Brandy And John
Tuesday: Matt And Ruth
Wednesday: Bruce, Heather And Wyatt
Most of these photos are sad and depressing. Many alone, lots of pills, lots of pre pkg meals. Many not eating at a table or together in same room. The pictures portray dark and gloomy looking meal times. My childhood memories were loud, everyone talking and lots of laughing. Perhaps not the fine manners some think a meal should be but it was catching up on everyone's day and family time together. Miss those days!
There is only 1 identifiably "elderly" person eating alone. And eating alone isn't sad. About 40% of this country does this on a regular basis. It is actually kind of nice, to make exactly what you want, in exactly the right amounts, when you want, and to eat in your own cozy home. After decades of shopping and cooking for other people, and catering to their tastes and desires, it's really peaceful - and even indulgent - to cook many of my meals to suit myself alone, and eat in my pretty house, maybe with some music playing, or a magazine or book. Eating alone doesn't necessarily mean loneliness.
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It could have been titled "Misery Across America" or "Supper After the Funeral" or "Photos for Wrist-Slitters" or "How America Meets Death" I can hardly wait for the depression to set in.
I was fascinated by the people , the food they ate , their surroundings , & their dining habits. I learned from all of this how people's dining has changed. I grew up around a table with lively discussions, laughter, & sharing of one's day. When do many of these families do that ?
same here... also saddened by how many people with kids are not around a table.. eating in front of TV, on the floor..
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I find most of these to be rather depressing to look at. Most of the families look miserable, angry, or exasperated. It is deliberately depressing I think, so not really a good form of art, there should be variety of families, not just looking for unhealthy ones and trying to display it as most families
These people don't look very happy, most of them don't look like they are even speaking to each other.
I'm looking at them while sitting in front of my computer... eating dinner... kind of ironic ^^'
It's really cool to see the different personalities come out through their bedrooms.
Gorgeous pictures. Incredible lighting. So many families don't ever sit down to dinner together, so why is this depressing an many of you indicated???
Yes, I am beginning to wonder if the photographer told them to look serious and set the lighting to make everything look gloomy as hell. My family was loud and we all talked and laughed at the dinner table. It was a time that we shared our day. We caught up on the news and what was happening. Sometimes we fought or had a lecture that made dinner an uncomfortable time, but that was life! What most of these photo's lack is LIFE!
Thank you all for allowing us invade the intimacy of your sacred home and family space, hope you enjoy your metal.
They are definitely NOT all in the USA based upon the products on the table. There is one that jumped out at me that had a tub of margarine that is available in Europe.
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This is deliberately dark & depressing. Why? Personally, I like my art to be uplifting. Reality is tough right now. Maybe the photographer reminded them who's leading the US right now.
Great stuff......needs more information such as WHERE?? A little BACKGROUND STORY etc etc
Agreed. When the title is "how different dinnertime looks across the USA"and then doesn't actually list ANY state or city names, I feel a little annoyed. I actually really wanted to know where some of these were!
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I hope there are families who gather around the table (without) t.v. to enjoy their families during dinner.
Were these pics taken in the 80’s? The homes look so outdated. Everyone looks so miserable.
It's actually depressing. It makes them look like they hate being together or eating anything. The ones that are not smiling or distant from each other, the ones alone seem to be like eh what ever. The couple's seem to be distant and the families look like their pissed off. It makes me think of not enough food to go around the dinner table and their going hungry. others make me think at their own will or they are forced to be there against their being. Others just seem a lone basically or distant from the world. Each of us have a story to share some say it in expression and in looks and this was like depressing. I felt sad for these people. Maybe the photographer told them to be serious or give the expression of day to day life but the faces tell I all like I am exhausted, tired , lonely, Moody, anxious etc. People live lives that are unexplainable to others and tell stories with their facial expressions. My opinion anyways.
I like photo #8, it is best on my taste. <3 <3 There is also one more photo number 10, where all the family is sitting just on the floor. It looks like it is not USA, as if it is - Kazakhstan! Ha-ha-ha!
I find it interesting how American's have large bowls of food and plates and take food from them in the UK we plate the food directly onto the dinner plates much less space taken on the table and much less dish washing too!
A generalization: Everyone likes peas. Everyone eats in the dark. Everybody looks so unhappy.
Makes me wonder what people would think of my family's dinner time. We have no dinner table, so we all sit in our living room chairs with our laptops while we watch TV.
Yeah, they all look like they hate life. There's no way everybody is always this unhappy. Come on!
It is interesting to see what people have for supper. One third of the photos show balanced meals sitting at their dinner tables, others show fast food (with I think is terrible) and the others show very dis-jointed families, couples and individuals eating in front of the computer, TV on the floor. I was brought up to believe that supper times were shared family times when you connected with each other with no outside distractions.
Horribly depressing photos. Bad decorators too. Gosh some of these pictures look like these people live in the 60s. Most of them also look like they don't really take care of themselves. Just not a pleasant photo shoot. If that was what the photographer was aiming for... he succeeded.
Smile more.....really. And put some damn lights on. Where’s the “families” at a regular kitchen table? I understand that’s not how it is for everyone, but some of that could have been added in just to show different dinnertimes. This is mostly people eating alone or middle aged-older men and women. Boring.
Jude made me sad. The empty chair and walker next to her, was she eating alone because she had lost her partner?
Why do they all look so miserable?? Guessing it was a direction from the photographer...at least hoping so, haha! Bizarre.
I don't know why but I started looking at their feet - bare feet, socks, slippers, shoes - I need my shoes off at home - I couldn't eat at home while wearing shoes - not relaxing for me
The lighting and interiors almost all look like they were from the 1970s. Very set up shots.
I'm sure the lack of smiles is purposeful, however I don't understand why. In my experience people normally smile at meals, or at least don't look so glum.
I found this very staged and seemingly deliberately depressing. I agree with all the comments saying that everyone seemed like they were told not to smile. It felt like they were told to not move or breathe either. Don't know what the photographer was going for, but if it was a representation of average life on an average night, I think they completely missed the mark.
These pictures are staged. Not the Dinner Across America, I know and observed!
I do not believe in any of these pictures. These are not the looks of dinner across America that I experienced and I know!. I honestly believed these are staged pictures. Dinner are always a happy time whether you are by eating by yourself or with company. LOL! :D
Eating together, aka 'Breaking Bread Together' is essential, to any kind of cohesive relationship... I grew up, with the 'family meal' I carry on that tradition, even if it's just two of us. I recently saw , a Family that 'ate at will', with no unity, fall completely apart...but, I'm sure that has nothing to do with anything ...there was a total lack of any real communication in the house... It starts, at the table.
These def look staged! Hopefully no-one is that unhappy at meal time. My husband and I are in our seventies, We eat a sit down meal together every night, We still chat and enjoy each others company. Our children rarely visit especially for meals. The younger generation have too many food fetishes.Vegan, Vegetarian, gluten free, Most of them have imaginary food allergies. We use to like to have people over for meals or make and bake and send to our neighbors. Now we don't bother, but we still enjoy normal food and each others company.
I get Ernesto's life. A lot of people had proper dining rooms, kitchens, and couches, and most were in a house. Made me realize how poor we are. A lot of these dinners though, you can tell something is wrong with the family due to the distance from each other, and a few look like divorces waiting to happen.
these are interesting, but for the most part they really only show one segment of society...there are MUCH poorer people, metropolitans out on the town, cafeteria people, people eating over desks at work...could've been much more broad...interesting just boring
Ok, first things first- pictures are very good. Now, how about don't eat so heavy fat food, and lots of it in the evening? The whole concept of "dinner" seems unhealthy to me
I have nothing against the photos but I hope you can get the chance to visit somewhere in Asia... Southeast, East... And try to capture their dinner time :)
even in my family nobody eats dinner at the same time... my brother after coming work eats his oatmeal on the bed, me after he is done in the living room, my dad also in the living room when he's home after 11oclock and my mother at last....
I love this project (thank you lois) , I love bored panada, and I love America.
I kinda wonder if the photo was taken with low lighting and a long exposure to account for the seriousness
WoW !1 everybody is really eating veggies these days !1 every plate just about had them on it !!
So many of these look depressing. Not Leo and Michael though. TV and white wine. They know what's up. (Photo #30)
I thought this was interesting. It shows us a side of the U.S.A. that we are not accustomed to see in their films and series.
Load More Replies... There is only 1 identifiably "elderly" person eating alone. And eating alone isn't sad. About 40% of this country does this on a regular basis. It is actually kind of nice, to make exactly what you want, in exactly the right amounts, when you want, and to eat in your own cozy home. After decades of shopping and cooking for other people, and catering to their tastes and desires, it's really peaceful - and even indulgent - to cook many of my meals to suit myself alone, and eat in my pretty house, maybe with some music playing, or a magazine or book. Eating alone doesn't necessarily mean loneliness.
Load More Replies... It could have been titled "Misery Across America" or "Supper After the Funeral" or "Photos for Wrist-Slitters" or "How America Meets Death" I can hardly wait for the depression to set in.
I was fascinated by the people , the food they ate , their surroundings , & their dining habits. I learned from all of this how people's dining has changed. I grew up around a table with lively discussions, laughter, & sharing of one's day. When do many of these families do that ?
same here... also saddened by how many people with kids are not around a table.. eating in front of TV, on the floor..
Load More Replies... I find most of these to be rather depressing to look at. Most of the families look miserable, angry, or exasperated. It is deliberately depressing I think, so not really a good form of art, there should be variety of families, not just looking for unhealthy ones and trying to display it as most families
These people don't look very happy, most of them don't look like they are even speaking to each other.
I'm looking at them while sitting in front of my computer... eating dinner... kind of ironic ^^'
It's really cool to see the different personalities come out through their bedrooms.
Gorgeous pictures. Incredible lighting. So many families don't ever sit down to dinner together, so why is this depressing an many of you indicated???
Yes, I am beginning to wonder if the photographer told them to look serious and set the lighting to make everything look gloomy as hell. My family was loud and we all talked and laughed at the dinner table. It was a time that we shared our day. We caught up on the news and what was happening. Sometimes we fought or had a lecture that made dinner an uncomfortable time, but that was life! What most of these photo's lack is LIFE!
Thank you all for allowing us invade the intimacy of your sacred home and family space, hope you enjoy your metal.
They are definitely NOT all in the USA based upon the products on the table. There is one that jumped out at me that had a tub of margarine that is available in Europe.
Load More Replies... This is deliberately dark & depressing. Why? Personally, I like my art to be uplifting. Reality is tough right now. Maybe the photographer reminded them who's leading the US right now.
Great stuff......needs more information such as WHERE?? A little BACKGROUND STORY etc etc
Agreed. When the title is "how different dinnertime looks across the USA"and then doesn't actually list ANY state or city names, I feel a little annoyed. I actually really wanted to know where some of these were!
Load More Replies... I hope there are families who gather around the table (without) t.v. to enjoy their families during dinner.
Were these pics taken in the 80’s? The homes look so outdated. Everyone looks so miserable.
It's actually depressing. It makes them look like they hate being together or eating anything. The ones that are not smiling or distant from each other, the ones alone seem to be like eh what ever. The couple's seem to be distant and the families look like their pissed off. It makes me think of not enough food to go around the dinner table and their going hungry. others make me think at their own will or they are forced to be there against their being. Others just seem a lone basically or distant from the world. Each of us have a story to share some say it in expression and in looks and this was like depressing. I felt sad for these people. Maybe the photographer told them to be serious or give the expression of day to day life but the faces tell I all like I am exhausted, tired , lonely, Moody, anxious etc. People live lives that are unexplainable to others and tell stories with their facial expressions. My opinion anyways.
I like photo #8, it is best on my taste. <3 <3 There is also one more photo number 10, where all the family is sitting just on the floor. It looks like it is not USA, as if it is - Kazakhstan! Ha-ha-ha!
I find it interesting how American's have large bowls of food and plates and take food from them in the UK we plate the food directly onto the dinner plates much less space taken on the table and much less dish washing too!
A generalization: Everyone likes peas. Everyone eats in the dark. Everybody looks so unhappy.
Makes me wonder what people would think of my family's dinner time. We have no dinner table, so we all sit in our living room chairs with our laptops while we watch TV.
Yeah, they all look like they hate life. There's no way everybody is always this unhappy. Come on!
It is interesting to see what people have for supper. One third of the photos show balanced meals sitting at their dinner tables, others show fast food (with I think is terrible) and the others show very dis-jointed families, couples and individuals eating in front of the computer, TV on the floor. I was brought up to believe that supper times were shared family times when you connected with each other with no outside distractions.
Horribly depressing photos. Bad decorators too. Gosh some of these pictures look like these people live in the 60s. Most of them also look like they don't really take care of themselves. Just not a pleasant photo shoot. If that was what the photographer was aiming for... he succeeded.
Smile more.....really. And put some damn lights on. Where’s the “families” at a regular kitchen table? I understand that’s not how it is for everyone, but some of that could have been added in just to show different dinnertimes. This is mostly people eating alone or middle aged-older men and women. Boring.
Jude made me sad. The empty chair and walker next to her, was she eating alone because she had lost her partner?
Why do they all look so miserable?? Guessing it was a direction from the photographer...at least hoping so, haha! Bizarre.
I don't know why but I started looking at their feet - bare feet, socks, slippers, shoes - I need my shoes off at home - I couldn't eat at home while wearing shoes - not relaxing for me
The lighting and interiors almost all look like they were from the 1970s. Very set up shots.
I'm sure the lack of smiles is purposeful, however I don't understand why. In my experience people normally smile at meals, or at least don't look so glum.
I found this very staged and seemingly deliberately depressing. I agree with all the comments saying that everyone seemed like they were told not to smile. It felt like they were told to not move or breathe either. Don't know what the photographer was going for, but if it was a representation of average life on an average night, I think they completely missed the mark.
These pictures are staged. Not the Dinner Across America, I know and observed!
I do not believe in any of these pictures. These are not the looks of dinner across America that I experienced and I know!. I honestly believed these are staged pictures. Dinner are always a happy time whether you are by eating by yourself or with company. LOL! :D
Eating together, aka 'Breaking Bread Together' is essential, to any kind of cohesive relationship... I grew up, with the 'family meal' I carry on that tradition, even if it's just two of us. I recently saw , a Family that 'ate at will', with no unity, fall completely apart...but, I'm sure that has nothing to do with anything ...there was a total lack of any real communication in the house... It starts, at the table.
These def look staged! Hopefully no-one is that unhappy at meal time. My husband and I are in our seventies, We eat a sit down meal together every night, We still chat and enjoy each others company. Our children rarely visit especially for meals. The younger generation have too many food fetishes.Vegan, Vegetarian, gluten free, Most of them have imaginary food allergies. We use to like to have people over for meals or make and bake and send to our neighbors. Now we don't bother, but we still enjoy normal food and each others company.
I get Ernesto's life. A lot of people had proper dining rooms, kitchens, and couches, and most were in a house. Made me realize how poor we are. A lot of these dinners though, you can tell something is wrong with the family due to the distance from each other, and a few look like divorces waiting to happen.
these are interesting, but for the most part they really only show one segment of society...there are MUCH poorer people, metropolitans out on the town, cafeteria people, people eating over desks at work...could've been much more broad...interesting just boring
Ok, first things first- pictures are very good. Now, how about don't eat so heavy fat food, and lots of it in the evening? The whole concept of "dinner" seems unhealthy to me
I have nothing against the photos but I hope you can get the chance to visit somewhere in Asia... Southeast, East... And try to capture their dinner time :)
even in my family nobody eats dinner at the same time... my brother after coming work eats his oatmeal on the bed, me after he is done in the living room, my dad also in the living room when he's home after 11oclock and my mother at last....
I love this project (thank you lois) , I love bored panada, and I love America.
I kinda wonder if the photo was taken with low lighting and a long exposure to account for the seriousness
WoW !1 everybody is really eating veggies these days !1 every plate just about had them on it !!
So many of these look depressing. Not Leo and Michael though. TV and white wine. They know what's up. (Photo #30)
I thought this was interesting. It shows us a side of the U.S.A. that we are not accustomed to see in their films and series.
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