SuitabookMaking poverty visible
Riis photographed poor and homeless people as they lived and worked, with subjects often looking directly into the camera.
Loading your next page
Book details
Michael Burgan - Author
A historical introduction to how Jacob Riis used photography and writing to draw public attention to slum poverty and immigrant hardship, while showing that reform did not end urban poverty.
President Theodore Roosevelt called Jacob Riis the best American I ever knew. The pioneering photojournalist an immigrant from Denmark drew attention to the poverty and evils of slum life in the late 1800s. Riis won national acclaim when his photos illustrated his bestselling book How the Other Half Lives. The book focused on the difficult time immigrants faced as thousands of newcomers flooded into the United States each year. Riis called for reform and hoped to prod government officials to help the poor people who were forced to live under horrible conditions. The impact of Riis photos came from capturing the poor and homeless as they lived and worked, with the subjects eyes often staring directly into the camera. The great photographer Ansel Adams called them magnificent achievements in the field of humanistic photography. But the reforms that came from Riis work have not eliminated urban poverty and homelessness, and important work remains to be done.
Book Brief
Sign in to see how this book fits your child and family preferences.
Sign in for personalised guidanceA historical introduction to how Jacob Riis used photography and writing to draw public attention to slum poverty and immigrant hardship, while showing that reform did not end urban poverty.
Riis photographed poor and homeless people as they lived and worked, with subjects often looking directly into the camera.
Riis hoped his work would encourage government officials to help poor people living in severe conditions; urban poverty and homelessness continued afterwards.
Notice how the book presents the people Riis photographed: consider their direct gaze, the conditions shown, and whether their dignity and own perspectives receive attention.
This is a grounded book brief while Suitabook strengthens the analysis: the current material supports only a cautious reading; another book-specific source is still needed.
Book information
Limited information
Anything not established here remains open; it is not being treated as absent or safe.