Photos by Henry Hargreaves
The Last Meal- A condemned prisoner’s last meal is a customary part of his or her last day before execution.
Just a few years ago, prison officials in Texas decided to end the practice of allowing condemned inmates to choose their last meal. A decision not many argued with. New Zealand photographer Henry Hargreaves read an article about this that inspired him to create his most popular project titled, No Seconds. In this chilling photo series he re-creates the last meals of some of the country’s most notorious, condemned criminals on death row, adding info on the prisoner, their crime, and the meal presented.
Looking through the series gives you an eery insight and sensory into the mind of the condemned. Hargreaves even notes that the experience personalized these people for him, and it even allowed him to identify with them through the common denominator of food.
While we scroll through our social media pages, we are often overwhelmed by filtered photos of what people eat on a daily basis and it’s interesting to finally see a piece of chicken or a bowl of ice cream that makes us think just a bit further than what’s presented on the plate. Check out the following photos and allow the stark perspective to float through your mind. What would be your last meal?
Be sure to check out more Henry’s work here.
