Immigrating to the United States requires integrating into American life: "Typical American things"—this vague term refers to those things that represent American knowledge, history, and culture. What does this term mean to an artist? Photographer Leland Bobbe gives his answer, stating, "What I describe as American things is the essence of America; it can be Americans, or clothing, art, music, etc." The photos he has taken may be able to answer this question better.
Leland Bobbe captured a series of photos of men, women, young, and old from all over the United States while traveling across the country. He explains, "From the summer fairs in rural New York in the north to New Orleans, the people I photographed are those I found interesting during my travels." Some of the people in the photos are scruffy best friends, while others are smiling children. In Bobbe's view, this series of photos records a wide variety of people who represent the American spirit.