From the Introduction to Jacob Riis, How the Other Half Lives (1890):"Long ago it was said that 'one half of the world does not know how the other half lives.' That was true then. It did not know because it did not care. The half that was on top cared little for the struggles, and less for the fate of those who were underneath, so long as it was able to hold them there and keep its own seat. There came a time when the discomfort and crowding below were so great, and the consequent upheavals so violent, that it was no longer an easy thing to do, and then the upper half fell to inquiring what was the matter. ....What are you going to do about it? is the question of to-day."
Jacob Riis, a journalist and photographer, published many photographs of New York City life. He was a pioneer of documentary photography and was one of the first photographers to use a flash, allowing him to show the interiors of dark, windowless tenements. Some of his photographs were journalistic; others were staged or artfully arranged (though using real inhabitants of the neighborhoods). Click here for a slideshow of more of Riis's photographs.
Jacob Riis Slideshow
Five Cents' Lodging
Bandits' Roost
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