Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How did Jacob Riis use photography in How the Other Half Lives?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
History of photography
Child with Striped Dress (Younger Raab Child), autochrome photograph by Alfred Stieglitz, 1907; in the Art Institute of Chicago.
Jacob Riis utilized photography in his seminal 1890 book, How the Other Half Lives, as a powerful tool for social reform and documentation. By capturing the stark realities of slum conditions in New York City, Riis aimed to shock the conscience of his middle-class readers and advocate for the impoverished immigrant population.123
Key aspects of his approach included:
- Technological Innovation: Riis employed a flash lamp, an early form of flashbulb photography, to illuminate the dark, cramped interiors and exteriors of tenement housing.2
- Visual Advocacy: He used his photographs—and engravings based on them—to illustrate his book and as positive transparencies (slides) during public lectures. These visuals were instrumental in dramatizing the dire living conditions he described.23
- Social Impact: The combination of his writing and photographic evidence was highly persuasive, directly stimulating the first significant legislation in New York to address tenement house evils and promoting slum-clearance projects.23
- Reproduction: His work benefited from the halftone process, which allowed for the efficient reproduction of photographs alongside text, helping to ensure the book reached a wide audience.23