JAKOB RIIS & ROOSEVELT, 2017

JAKOB RIIS & ROOSEVELT, 2017

spray-paint and acrylics on canvas

78.7 x 57.1 inches

The restless police photographer Jacob Riis documented the dark interior of New York tenements and slums with his camera, and in the process also established the beginnings of flash photography. His photographic procedure at the time was experimental in nature, not at all harmless, and at times almost caused the dark houses he brightly illuminated to burn down. 

A stone's throw away in the mansions of New York, one had hardly any idea of how miserable the stench and death were in New York's slums. There were no social securities for the considerable dregs of New York's population, but poisons in the soil and food, epidemics, damp and cold housing, and inadequate medical care. In addition, the labor slaves were at the mercy of their bosses. There was also no effective legal protection from the injuries that could be sustained under breakneck working conditions. 

Jacob Riis' images literally brought light into the darkness and gave a voice to those who had previously been willingly overlooked or stigmatized. His photographs and friendship with President Roosevelt contributed to nationwide social reforms. Sadly, in the aftermath of the Draft Riots, the poor condition of blacks in New York changed little...but Irish immigrants began to make an impact in politics.

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