Revealing New York's Other Half

Jacob Riis  was a pioneering newspaper reporter and social reformer in New York at the turn of the 20th century. His then-novel idea of using photographs to illustrate the plight of the city’s poor—New York’s “other half”—established Riis as a forerunner of modern photojournalism. His photography was effective, and his work spurred legislation and new organizations that addressed housing conditions and more. Jacob A. Riis: Revealing New York’s Other Half features photographs by Riis and his contemporaries, as well as his handwritten journals and personal correspondence.

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