“Five Cents a Spot” (circa 1890)
As a New Yorker, it is hard to overlook the myriad of homeless people all over the city. Whether you are on the train, at the park or simply walking along the sidewalk, you will most likely encounter one. As a society, we are used to seeing poverty-stricken individuals, but this was not always the case. During the Gilded Age, Jacob Riis opened peoples’ eyes to the vile conditions that the Lower East Side immigrants lived in through his photographs. With the recently discovered technology, people were more than willing to pay to see the poor of their generation. The Museum of the City of New York is now holding an exhibition titled “Jacob A. Riis: Revealing New York’s Other Half”, presenting Riis’ capture of the “other half” of the city.
Jacob Riis’ determination to expose the lives of the poor may be directly correlated to the fact that he was an immigrant himself. Arriving to America without a penny to his name, Riis was staying at a police lodging house where one night his gold locket keepsake was stolen and his dog was clubbed to death. That night, he stated, “cured him of dreaming”. The tough times that he endured motivated him to become a journalist and to “galvanize the public in a campaign to improve housing, health care, education, parks and the assimilation of the nation’s growing immigrant population.”
Riis staged extremely popular slide shows which hundreds of people paid to see. The eye-opening photographs were accompanied by anecdotes, ethnic stereotyping, and Christian moralizing. He would tell his audience that usually consisted of amateur photographers, “the most pitiful victim of city life is not the slum child who dies, but the slum child who lives”.
“Street Arabs in Night Quarters”
In today’s world, when seeing a homeless person asking for money we would most likely pretend we did not see anything. We excuse our behavior by saying, “he would spend the money on drugs or alcohol anyway”. Not much has changed when it comes to the way the poor die. As Riis said, “thousands of forgotten New Yorkers are buried annually in the same unmarked trenches on Hart Island off the Bronx”. Poor people are usually seen as burden to us, but if we change our thinking and consider the possibility that maybe the homeless are not much different from us, we can make a real change in the world. A warm meal or a dollar can change someone’s life.
In the AP U.S. History class I took during my junior year of high school, my teacher also brought Jacob Riis to our attention. I remember admiring him because through his photography of these tenements and slums he brought much attention to it. These attention in turn led to many changes. I think it’s great that the Museum of the City of New York is having this exhibition to remind people that these problems still exist in New York City. Recently the amount of homelessness has reached it’s all time high since the Great Depression. Hopefully through this exhibition, we can bring more attention to the homeless of New York City and help to decrease the amount of homeless.
I knew of Riis previously and the impact that his work had but his back story is new to me and it is noteworthy. Not all people would have the emotional and psychological strength to want to really make a change as opposed to just continuing the cycle. What I mean is, I think most people would just be mad that their best friend was clubbed to death and their sole possession was robbed by robbing and killing others. But Riis used his frustration for good and he was a pioneer at exposing the conditions of the poor. Thus, he successfully helped an uncountable number of people. Furthermore, I agree with you in that homeless people are still “invisible” today.
At this point, we unfortunately tend to overlook the homeless people and rationalize our behavior with excuses instead of coming up with ways to help. Despite seeing so much pain and suffering, we choose to ignore reality and continue our daily routines. I admire Jacob Riis for being able to put away his own needs to focus on giving voice to those who had no voice. I think his work really changed so many lives and we should look at him as a role model and do what we can to help the poor. We can all take even five minutes out of our lives to raise awareness and help those who do not have the same privileges that we do.
I think we do overlook the homeless because we’re so used to them – a fact that comes to my attention whenever a friend visits and just stares at them begging for money every time we pass. One of my friends told me that the best charity isn’t to give them money because sometimes it is used for drugs or leisure and not needs. Instead, give them food or supplies.
I actually loved learning about Jacob Riis and the muckrakers in high school! It was amazing what a motivated group of artists could accomplish politically and socially and I’m so excited to hear that his pictures are in the Museum of NYC (free admission with the cultural pass!). I’ll definitely be visiting soon!
When I read the title of your article, I got very excited. In AP US history, my class studied the importance of Jacob Riis. Not only was he an artist, but he was perhaps one of the most influential photographers of all time. He entered the slums and the decimated areas people desperately tried to overlook and forced the general public to confront the problems hidden behind the gild of their society. His art truly prompted society to re-evaluate itself and was a catalyst for later legislation and actions to improve the lives of the poor. Perhaps it is time that we become the next generation of muckrakers, bringing the unspoken troubles of society to light and prompting change like he did.
I feel as though it’s people like Rii’s who stir evolution within society concerning mistreated minorities. A lot of society possesses a desire to hide the truth, in fear that what reality really is will show itself to be less than satisfactory. However, when we ignore our surroundings, problems only deepen. I appreciate how Rii’s life played crucially impacted his career, especially when his dog was beaten to death. It’s unfortunate to think that he lost his will to dream, but I think that his new found consciousness of reality stirred many to act. I admire what he accomplished, and appreciate the influence that he had.
It’s very inspiring to see such a unqiue yet, obvious, portrayal of the homeless or poor. No matter what and who, lives do matter. However in out day and age it is very hard to realize that in terms of homeless people. I too, often turn and pretend as though I do not see them. Although I am not proud of my actions, it is hard to do anything because of the risks that could come along. Riis photography does make me realize that there is something that can be done. As long as people are willing to make an effort all lives matter and we can help.
Jacob Riis is definitely still a very prominent figure in NYC because of the amazing work he has done. He exposed the horrific conditions that people in poverty had to struggle through in their daily lives. His work is so admirable because it was able to achieve what it was made for. To bring about change and increase public awareness towards people in need. Strict laws were implemented to improve safety conditions and overall standard of living in slums.
I recognize Riis and his work from studies I did in high school, but I was unaware of the impact that he had on the culture of his times. It is so true that the difference between economic classes is huge even today and they do not intermix. Most people now are unaware of everything that someone must go through being homeless, because they only see what’s visible on the streets. To look at these portraits of people in such horrid situations and to know that it isn’t too much different from what still happens is heartbreaking. I hope that homelessness becomes a greater issue in people’s minds and that as a population in NYC we can work together to combat it. Homeless people are human beings, not things to be overlooked. And Riis’ photos remind us this. I like how you ended your reflection, Zuzanna, and I agree, “Poor people are usually seen as burden to us, but if we change our thinking and consider the possibility that maybe the homeless are not much different from us, we can make a real change in the world. A warm meal or a dollar can change someone’s life.”