Jacob Riis
A Danish immigrant who used the shocking power of flash photography to expose the brutal squalor of New York's tenements and shame a city into reform.
1849–1914 (age 65)·American photographer, journalist and activist·Birthday: May 3
Biography
Jacob Riis arrived in New York in 1870 as a penniless Danish immigrant, experiencing firsthand the desperation of the city's slums. After scraping his way into a reporting job, he became a police reporter for the New York Tribune, which immersed him in the city's darkest corners. Riis's transformative moment came with the advent of flash powder photography; he partnered with amateur photographers to literally shine a light on the overcrowded, airless tenements where families lived in shocking poverty. His 1890 book, 'How the Other Half Lives,' combined these stark, unprecedented images with searing prose, delivering a visceral gut-punch to the comfortable classes. Riis didn't just report; he campaigned, lecturing with his lantern slides and becoming a forceful, if sometimes paternalistic, ally to reformers like Theodore Roosevelt. His work provided the undeniable evidence that fueled the Progressive Era's push for housing laws, parks, and schools, fundamentally changing how Americans saw their own cities.
#1 When Jacob Was Born
The biggest hits of 1849
Jacob's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1849Born
1854Started school
1862Became a teenager
President: Abraham Lincoln
1865Could drive
President: Andrew Johnson
1867Could vote
President: Andrew Johnson
1870Turned 21
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1879Turned 30
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1889Turned 40
Eiffel Tower opens in Paris
President: Benjamin Harrison
1899Turned 50
President: William McKinley
1909Turned 60
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1914Died at 65
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
Key Achievements
- Published the groundbreaking photojournalism book 'How the Other Half Lives' in 1890, which documented slum life in New York City.
- His advocacy was instrumental in the destruction of the notorious Mulberry Bend slum, which was replaced by a public park.
- Forged a close working relationship with Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt, who called him 'the most useful citizen of New York.'
- Pioneered the use of flash photography in documentary work to capture previously unseen indoor scenes of urban poverty.
Did You Know?
Before becoming a journalist, he worked as a carpenter, a salesman, and even a miner in Pennsylvania.
He was a close friend and frequent walking companion of President Theodore Roosevelt.
His book 'How the Other Half Lives' directly inspired a young New York politician named Fiorello La Guardia to enter public service.
The term 'muckraker,' often applied to him, was actually coined by Roosevelt, who borrowed it from 'Pilgrim's Progress.'
“The power of fact is the mightiest lever in this world of ours.”
