How the Other Half Lives

Jacob Riis, the Danish-American journalist, documented the harsh conditions of New York City's slums using flash photography, statistics, and personal narratives. He exposed exploitative landlords, proliferating saloons, and the meager wages sustaining the city's poorest residents, and outlined reforms both implemented and still needed. Originally a magazine article in 1889, it was expanded into a book the following year. The work shocked middle and upper-class readers and sparked significant tenement reform.