in there photographs the possessions of a white American family and a white British family are laid out for the photographs in front of their houses. it is interesting to see with possessions each family has chosen to display, and what item they treasure most. The possessions are a mixture of furniture and appliances considered essential for modern American or British life, and more personal things such as books, sports equipment and pictures.
The photographs are from a set of pictures taken in countries throughout the world to show differences in quantity and type of possessions between families typical of each country. they were taken in 1993-4 for the book Material World by Peter Menzel, published to celebrate the United Nations' International Year of the Family.