Jacob Riis Essay

Riis, Jacob How the Other Half Lives New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1890. In 1890, Jacob Riis, a Danish immigrant worked as a police reporter and photographic journalist in New York City. “How the Other Half Lives,” prompted legislative reforms, focused attention on the desperate lives of poor urban immigrants and left an enduring mark on the history of documentary photography.” (NY TIMES). During this time, America was going through social and economic stress due to rapid industrialization

Jacob Riis was born on May 3, 1849 in Ribe, Denmark and later immigrated to the United States in 1870 at the age of 21. When he arrived in New York city he had a total of only $40 and a locket that he had for as long as he can remember (study.com).  He did a lot of odd jobs around the city to earn just enough money to get by. Soon there later he became a police reporter and found an interest in the things that he saw. So he taught himself some photography skills and took a camera with him every time

Sinclair, Samuel Hopkins Adams, and Jacob Riis. The first of the muckrakers to be discussed is Jacob Riis. Riis was born and raised in Denmark, but moved to New York when he was twenty- one years old. He grew up in an impoverished household with fourteen other siblings; therefore, he understood the struggle of the needy that lived in New York (“Jacob Riis Muckraker”). In 1888, Riis was given a job with the New York Evening Sun as a photojournalist (“Jacob Riis”). His pictures primarily portrayed

Alexandria Ard September 8, 2015 Document Analysis How the Other Half Lives (1890) Jacob Riis Jacob Riis was originally from Denmark but immigrated to New York in 1870. Je started off doing small jobs and later caught a break and became a police reporter for the New York Evening Sun. He worked in the worst areas of the city which were the poorest and had the most crime. He brought a camera on his runs and began to document and take photos of what he saw in these parts of the cities. After he

Jacob Riis was able to capture the living conditions in tenement houses in New York during the late 1800’s. Riis’s ability to capture these images allowed him to reflect the moral environmentalist approach discussed by Alexander von Hoffman in The Origins of American Housing Reform. The idea that the mental and physical state of its inhabitants are directly correlated to the conditions found in the residential districts. For example, the image entitled The Baby’s Playground (Chen, 4), resonates

America was always seen as a county that will give everyone what they want. Immigrants that were coming to American, they believed in American Dream. People that wanted to live better life come to America and hoped that they will have an opportunity to work and get their dreams. American Dream is the heart of all American images, its controls how everyone act and what they do. Most people believe that American Dream can be if you work hard and give all your effort to the work that you do. All people

Upon earning employment as a reporter in 1873, Jacob Riis intended to expose the deplorable living conditions within the slums of New York city as well as the police department shelters that he himself had to stay in. The living conditions in the slums were terrible for the tenants, as the tenements were dark with poor air quality, overcrowded, unsanitary, and filled with crime and illnesses. At the time, most of the residents in the slums were immigrants and there were no sanitary laws to regulate

Jacob Riis deserves a place in history because of the many astonishing actions he did for America. His motivation and preparation helped him reach his great success during his time. Because of Riis’ motivation, preparation, and accomplishments, he was able to obtain a spot as a Progressive era historical figure. Motivation Jacob Riis’ motivation caused him to take action in New York City, which created history. For example, as a young boy, Riis was so terrified by the tenement houses and how people

Jacob Riis Jacob Riis was born in Ribe, Denmark on May 3rd, 1894 (Biography.com). When Riis first started off in his young adult life he was a carpenter, he then proceeded to move to the United States and wanted to become a U.S. Army volunteer but because of his poor health he was unable to do it . Jacob continued to move around multiple times (thefamouspeople.com). After many hard times of not having jobs and then having low pay jobs he picked up photography (biography.com). He took many pictures

I have chosen for the week’s discussion the photography of Jacob Riis. Jacob Riis was a photojournalist that told whom shed light on the living conditions of the impoverished citizens in New York. The first photo by Jacob Riis is titled Under the dump at West 35 street, 1989-1913. The exact date cannot be pinpointed only the time frame in which the photo was taken. http://www.authentichistory.com/1898-1913/2-progressivism/2-riis/204.jpg May varying types of visual elements are seen in the photograph