Original artwork by Brendan Smialowski / AFP
Ready before everyone else
The prepared attendee has settled in while the start time comes and goes.
Read caption text
- The waiting situation
- Me waiting for the meeting to start
Also called Bernie Sitting · Bernie Mittens · Bundled-Up Bernie
Bernie Sanders sits bundled up with his arms and legs crossed. Add a caption about waiting, wanting to go home, or arriving dressed for comfort while everyone else makes an occasion of it.
The coat, mittens, and folded posture make the scene useful for jokes about waiting without much enthusiasm. The caption supplies the imagined mood.
It can also celebrate practical priorities: staying warm, getting the errand done, or being ready to leave. You do not need a political joke to use the photograph.
AFP photographer Brendan Smialowski took the picture at Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20, 2021. Sanders was seated among the guests in a winter coat and mittens; Smialowski described it as an ordinary moment in his coverage of the event. [1] [2]
People soon captioned his bundled-up appearance and edited the seated figure into other settings. The mittens were made by Vermont teacher Jen Ellis from reused wool sweaters with a lining made from recycled plastic bottles. [3]
The crossed-arm pose becomes the basis of captions and cutout edits. [2] [1]
Know Your Meme documents early Twitter reactions and a post in Reddit’s MemeEconomy community. [3]
Smialowski explains how he captured the moment as examples place Sanders in films and historical scenes. [1]
Place a short situation caption above Sanders. Keep his face, folded arms, and mittens clear; those details carry the reaction.
Name the specific delay or event. A meeting that has not started or an overcooled office is enough to make the posture tell a story.
Original captions to try with this template.
Original artwork by Brendan Smialowski / AFP
The prepared attendee has settled in while the start time comes and goes.
Original artwork by Brendan Smialowski / AFP
A short promised wait feels less convincing the longer you sit there.
Original artwork by Brendan Smialowski / AFP
Winter clothes become a practical response to an unusually cold room.
References for this template. Example captions are original.
The photographer describes taking the image and seeing the resulting edits.
AFP’s retrospective identifies the photograph and its January 20 date.
Documents early captions, the mittens’ maker, and the photograph’s spread.