WHO: Jacob Riis, a Danish-American journalist and social reformer.
WHAT: “How the Other Half Lives” was a photojournalism book documenting the squalid living conditions in New York City’s tenements. Riis used flash photography to capture images of poverty, overcrowding, and disease in the slums, aiming to expose the realities of urban poverty to a largely unaware middle and upper class.
IMPACT: Why Significant?:
Raising Awareness: The book shocked many readers and brought the plight of the urban poor into the national spotlight, fueling the Progressive movement.
Social Reform: It contributed to the passage of tenement house reforms and other legislation aimed at improving sanitation, housing conditions, and public health in urban areas.
Muckraking Journalism: “How the Other Half Lives” is considered a seminal work of muckraking journalism, a style that aimed to expose social ills and corruption. It established a powerful model for investigative journalism using photography and narrative to create social change.
Influencing Public Policy: The book’s impact led to increased funding for social programs, improved infrastructure in poor neighborhoods, and a greater awareness of the need for social justice. It directly influenced the thinking of reformers and shaped the agenda of progressive era legislation.