Lecture Notes: Jacob Riis and the Exhibit "Revealing How the Other Half Lives"

Overview

• Time-lapse video of the construction of the exhibition "Jacob Riis: Revealing How the Other Half Lives."
• Location: Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building.
• Focus: Life and work of Jacob Riis, Danish-born journalist, social reformer, and photographer.

Key Photographs from the Exhibit

Bandit's Roost

• Description: Most famous photograph by Jacob Riis.
• Location: Mulberry Bend, near Baxter Street.
• Significance: Area was a focus for urban reform; Riis worked with authorities to demolish it and replace it with a park.
• Cultural Impact: Image was referenced by Martin Scorsese in "Gangs of New York."
• Photography Technique: Taken with a stereoscopic camera; the famous image is the right side with two Italian toughs.
• Note: Photograph not taken by Riis himself but by his collaborators interested in flash photography.

Jacob Riis - The Photographer

• Riis considered himself a photographer "after a fashion," using the camera for less than 10 years.
• Total Photographs: Approximately 300, with about a third being family snapshots.
• Inspiration for Photography: Discovered flash powder could illuminate dark conditions in 1887, motivating him to use photography.

Significant Flash Photograph: Five Cents a Spot

• Description: Image depicts individuals paying five cents for temporary lodging on the floor and seven cents on a shelf.
• Legal Context: Law required an independent bed, with a minimum charge of seven cents, making the lodging illegal.
• Riis' Role: Riis personally captured this image with the sanitary police during a raid.
• Conditions: Room had little light from a coal stove, captured with a flash explosion.
• Impact on Subjects: Faces in the photograph reflect being startled by the flash; criticism for lack of consent and victimization.

Riis' Influence and Criticism

• Objective: Used photographs to arouse authorities to enforce laws regarding lodging houses.
• Modern Criticism: Flash photographs criticized for lack of consent and victimization of subjects.
• Riis' Intention: Not to victimize but to highlight inhumane conditions through his book and photographs.

Conclusion

• Riis' work had significant socio-political influence, leading to urban reforms.
• His photographic style and approach continue to be analyzed and critiqued from historical and modern perspectives.