Jacob Riis

(noun)

A Danish American social reformer, "muckraking" journalist, and social documentary photographer known for using his photographic and journalistic talents to help the impoverished in New York City. He endorsed the implementation of "model tenements" in New York with the help of humanitarian Lawrence Veiller.

Related Terms

Examples of Jacob Riis in the following topics:

  • Social Criticism

    • One of the most notable was Jacob August Riis (May 3, 1849–May 26, 1914).
    • Riis was a Danish-American social reformer, muckraker, and social documentary photographer.
    • With the help of humanitarian Lawrence Veiller, Riis endorsed the implementation of "model tenements" in New York.
    • Jacob Riis documented the hard life encountered by many immigrants and the poor in the city.

  • The Muckrakers

    • How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York (1890), by photojournalist Jacob Riis, documented the squalid living conditions of New York City slums during the 1880's .
    • By exposing his jarring findings to New York's upper and middle classes, Riis helped set the tone for future "muckraking" journalism.
    • A poor Danish immigrant, Riis blamed the deplorable conditions of the New York slums on the obliviousness of the city's higher classes, and hoped that, if higher class people were made more aware of the slums' condition, they would be motivated to help eradicate the problem.

  • Tenements and Overcrowding

    • How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York (1890) was an early publication of photojournalism by Jacob Riis, documenting squalid living conditions in New York City slums in the 1880s.
    • In January of 1888, Jacob Riis bought a detective camera and went on an expedition to gather images of what life was like in the slums of New York City.
    • This not only involved Riis taking his own photos but also his using the images of other photographers.
    • In February 1889, Riis wrote a magazine article based on his lectures in Scribner's Magazine, which was a resounding success.
    • The 1890 publication of Jacob Riis's How the Other Half Lives stirred public concern about New York tenements.

  • Conclusion: The Successes and Failures of Progressivism

    • "Muckraking" journalists such as Upton Sinclair, Lincoln Steffens and Jacob Riis exposed corruption in business and government along with rampant inner city poverty.

  • The Rise of Realism

    • Realist journalists, also called "muckrakers," included Jacob Riis and cartoonist Art Young.

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