SuitabookExposing hidden worlds
Michael Burgan
- Reading
- Read alongside a conversation about representation: distinguish the conditions shown from Riis’s interpretation of them, and ask whose voice or viewpoint may be missing.
- Themes
- Making poverty visible: Riis photographed poor and homeless people as they lived and worked, with subjects often looking directly into the camera. The book presents this mainly as information or explanation.
- Reform and unfinished change: Riis hoped his work would encourage government officials to help poor people living in severe conditions; urban poverty and homelessness continued afterwards. The book appears to present reform as significant but incomplete, encouraging attention to the gap between public action and lasting change.
- Worth knowing
- 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.