Jacob Riis

Biography

Jacob Riis (1849–1914) was a Danish-American journalist, social reformer, and photographer whose work exposing the squalid conditions of New York City’s tenements helped transform urban housing policy in America. Born in Ribe, Denmark, Riis emigrated to the United States in 1870 and experienced years of poverty and homelessness before becoming a police reporter for the New York Tribune. His landmark book How the Other Half Lives (1890) combined vivid prose with pioneering flash photography to document the overcrowded, disease-ridden tenements of Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The book shocked middle-class Americans and caught the attention of Theodore Roosevelt, who became a lifelong friend and ally in reform efforts. Riis’s work directly contributed to tenement reform legislation, the establishment of parks and playgrounds in poor neighborhoods, and broader awareness of urban poverty. He pioneered the use of photography in journalism and social advocacy, demonstrating the power of visual documentation to drive political change.