Dinner seating — a study

dinner seating - a study: 1839 photograph of a formal dinner. Huge round tables with 16 formally dressed men at each. The tables are crowded together. Image attribution: The Guardian

Study this 1839* 2014 dinner seating layout. What’s wrong with this picture?

  • Sixteen men at each table. Each man can only talk to the person on his left and right.
  • No women are present. In 2014, apparently, a woman’s place is still in the kitchen.
  • The tables are squashed far too close to each other.
  • How will they reach the wine in the center of each table, four feet away?

What else do you notice?

How much have things changed?

Well, for one thing, this dinner, held annually since 1829, still does not admit women!

“We are a men’s club, do not take this Gendergaga with us. Even the pope would not be invited if he was a woman.” [translation from German]
—Patrick Wendisch : Bild.de from January 19, 2019

Image attribution: The Guardian

*A hat tip to Dan Neuman who noticed that the image was taken recently, not in the 1800’s!

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