2021 / Meme / Exploitable political photograph
Bernie’s Inauguration Mittens
Bernie Sanders sat down at an inauguration and immediately got added to every location on Earth.
The original is off-site. HAHrchives preserves the story and a route back to it.
What happened
The image was dropped onto subway seats, movie scenes, famous paintings, couches, moons, and virtually any empty chair available. The pose read as practical, patient, and entirely unfazed by its new surroundings.
Where it came from
A photograph of Sanders, seated in a parka and recycled-wool mittens at the January 2021 inauguration, supplied an unusually perfect cutout shape.
Why it mattered
The Mittens meme is a gentler kind of political internet moment: a formal-news photograph became a communal collage, then a real charitable outcome, without losing its very specific deadpan charm.
How it spread
The Photoshop format raced through social platforms within days. Official merchandise using the image sold out quickly and raised $1.8 million for Vermont charities.