With this, he became one of the first Americans to employ flash light. Europeana entity. It was while working there that he heard about a group of volunteers who were going for the war. 12 December 2019. Riis used the images to dramatize his lectures and books. The story resulted in the purchase by New York City of areas around the New Croton Reservoir, and may well have saved New Yorkers from an epidemic of cholera. ", One of the things that Jacob Riis recognized was the need for parks and open spaces. His essays and photographs led to the Small Parks Act of 1887. [1] He is known for using his photographic and journalistic talents to help the impoverished in New York City; those impoverished New Yorkers were the subject of most of his prolific writings and photography. The "pictures of Gotham's crime and misery by night and day" are described as "a foundation for a lecture called 'The Other Half: How It Lives and Dies in New York.' Telegram, May 7, 1905. Several chapters of How the Other Half Lives, for example, open with Riis' observations of the economic and social situations of different ethnic and racial groups via indictments of their perceived natural flaws; often prejudices that may well have been informed by scientific racism. 2020 Annual Report . He started off as a carpenter in Denmark and soon immigrated to United States to try his luck at the country of opportunities. "[31] The German innovation, by Adolf Miethe and Johannes Gaedicke, flash powder was a mixture of magnesium with potassium chlorate and some antimony sulfide for added stability;[32] the powder was used in a pistol-like device that fired cartridges. Meanwhile, he continued to make efforts to bag a journalism job which he eventually did after being appointed as a trainee in the New York News Association. The book reused the eighteen line drawings that had appeared in the Scribner's article and also seventeen reproductions using the halftone method,[43] and thus "[representing] the first extensive use of halftone photographic reproductions in a book". The book presented statistics about New Yorks poverty and contained drawings of the photos from Riis unending tour of the citys worst slums. Jacob riis how the other half lives pdf Jacob Riis: Jacob Riis (1849-1914) was an American reporter, social reformer, and photographer. He worked as a carpenter in Copenhagen before he immigrated to the United Sates in 1870. Using the powerful device, he along with his three other friends used the device to photograph pictures of the dark slum areas. Our family taken in summer of 1898. Reproduction from glass plate negative. Although Maya became best known as a writer and poet and achieved many . He moved to Little Washington in New Jersey and started working at the brickyard. However, this enterprise ended when the pair became involved in an armed dispute between striking railroad workers and the police, after which Riis quickly returned to New York City. The conditions in the lodging houses were so bad, that Riis vowed to get them closed. The Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement Records are arranged in six series: Series I. USA.gov, Jacob Riis: Revealing How the Other Half Lives. [73] Swienty (2008) says, "Riis was quite impatient with most of his fellow immigrants; he was quick to judge and condemn those who failed to assimilate, and he did not refrain from expressing his contempt. [53] Two years later, another reviewer reported that Riis's story was widely reprinted and dubbed him as one of the "best-known authors and one of the most popular lecturers in the United States."[54]. Now a legend for his work toward social reform, and for his use of photography to bring previously hidden worlds to light, Riis went on to write many other books, among them, The Battle With the Slum (1902), Children of the Tenements (1903), and the autobiography, The Making of an American (1901). How the Other Half Lives was an instant success and had an immediate impact. While living in New York, Riis experienced poverty and became a police reporter writing about the quality of life in the slums. 0 references. Recognizing the potential of the flash, Riis informed a friend, Dr. John Nagle, chief of the Bureau of Vital Statistics in the City Health Department who was also a keen amateur photographer. Riis worked briefly as editor of a south Brooklyn newspaper, the Brooklyn News. He gained fame as a carpenter due to quality work and low prices but was exploited by the employers. Riis was not invited to the eventual opening of the park on June 15, 1897, but went all the same, together with Lincoln Steffens. Assisted by lantern slides, the public speaking event was a major hit. Skip to Main Content (Press Enter) We know what book you should read next Books Kids Popular Authors & Events Recommendations Audio [26], Riis was able to write about both the rich and impoverished immigrant communities. Riis was able to achieve greatness through his photographs. He quickly realized why the job had been available: the editor in chief was dishonest and indebted. The countless evils which lurk in the dark corners of our civic institutions, which stalk abroad in the slums, and have their permanent abode in the crowded tenement houses, have met in Mr. Riis the most formidable opponent ever encountered by them in New York City. Riis initially struggled to get by, working as a carpenter and at . As soon as he earned extra money, Jacob donated it to the poor in Rag Hall to help tidy things up. The tenants took the money and obliged; when he told his mother, she went to help. He was sitting outside the Cooper Union one day when the principal of the school where he had earlier learned telegraphy happened to notice him. Much against his fathers wishes of taking up a literary career, he longed to become a carpenter. He learned carpentry in Denmark before immigrating to the United States at the age of 21. Last edited on 25 February 2023, at 19:18, Street Arabs in the Area of Mulberry Street, How the Other Half Lives: Studies among the Tenements of New York, "The Making of an American: An Autobiography", Danes welcome Riis: Glad he has come to represent our information bureau, "Jacob A. Riis Papers: A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress", "Roger William Riis Papers: A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress", "Roger William Riis and the 'Battle of the Slums', https://www.nps.gov/gate/learn/historyculture/jacob-riis-park.htm, https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/gate/jacob_riis_hsr.pdf, "Jacob Riis Boys School, Los Angeles Dodd & Richards, Architects - January 1928", Jacob Riis photographs from the Museum of the City of New York, Jacob Riis | International Center of Photography, Documenting 'the Other Half': The Social Reform Photography of Jacob Riis and Lewis Hine, Text and images from Riis' book How the Other Half Lives, Flash Forward: How the flashbulb changed the face of urban poverty, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jacob_Riis&oldid=1141576039. After a few days of that, he began mining for increased pay but quickly resumed carpentry. https://www.britannica.com/question/What-were-Jacob-Riiss-accomplishments. My focus is on clear understanding of primary and secondary sources with an emphasis on photographs as a primary source. Jacob Riis Biography ID 67. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Jobs | The Making of an American, two pages of handwritten lecture notes. His five-column story "Some Things We Drink", in the August 21, 1891, edition of the New York Evening Sun, included six photographs (later lost). [61], For his part, Riis wrote a campaign biography of Roosevelt that praised him.[62]. 1 reference. Jacob Riis was born on May 3, 1849. American author, photographer, and film director. The designs for Riis's bathhouse were made by architect John L. Plock in November 1930. Riis unflinching photos appeared in books, newspapers and magazines, and before long they were used as tools for social reform. - Jacob Riis. General Correspondence 1891-1962 4 linear feet Incoming and outgoing letters, principally those of settlement Head Workers, regarding settlement administration, finances, and programs. However, Adolph Schauffler (of the City Mission Society) and Josiah Strong arranged to sponsor Riis's lecture at the Broadway Tabernacle church. Chapter 7 is distinct because Riis's wife, Elizabeth, describes her life in Denmark before she married Riis. Jacob Riis was familiar with poverty. Twelve-year-old Jacob hated Rag Hall. [33], Riis and his photographers were among the first Americans to use flash photography. He worked in the poorest, most crime ridden areas of the city. Whereas How the Other Half Lives, and some of Riis's other books received praise from critics, he received a mixed reception for his autobiography. One of the things that Jacob Riis recognized was the need for parks and open spaces. Jacob Riis was born to Niels Edward Riis and Carolina Riis. [15], On arrival, Riis found that the rumor was true but that he had arrived too late. In the 1940s, to commemorate his support and passion for parks, a . The article included nineteen photographs and line drawings. Then, after studying in France for a few years, she joined S. S. McClure's new reform-minded magazine in 1894. Riis Settlement values transparency and celebrating our accomplishments and supporters. [51] Riis anticipated such a critique, "I have never been able to satisfactorily explain the great run 'How The Other Half Lives' had like Topsy, it grew. Jacob Riis was familiar with poverty. Frances Benjamin Johnston Collection, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (046.00.00), Bookmark this item: //www.loc.gov/exhibits/jacob-riis/biography.html#obj019, Riiss notes for his lecture titled Making of an American were drawn from his 1901 autobiography of the same name and his book The Battle with the Slum published in 1902. "[78][further explanation needed]. This revealing biography of a pioneering photojournalist and social reformer Jacob Riis shows how he brought to light one of the worst social justice issues plaguing New York City in the late 1800sthe tenement housing crisisusing newly invented flash photography.Jacob Riis was familiar with povert. 3031 (although Alland misattributes. The rest of Ribe, Denmark, was filled with trim homes, sweet grass meadows, and fresh wind blowing from the sea. Unable to find work, he soon found himself living in police lodging houses, and begging for food. (Days were for reporting for the New York Sun, evenings for public speaking.) [16] As autumn began, Riis was destitute, without a job. Jacob Riis's photos of the slums and tenement shocked thousands. [40], An eighteen-page article by Riis, How the Other Half Lives, appeared in the Christmas 1889 edition of Scribner's Magazine. Astrological Sign: Taurus, Death Year: 1914, Death date: May 26, 1914, Death State: Massachusetts, Death Country: United States, Article Title: Jacob Riis Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/authors-writers/jacob-riis, Publisher: A&E; Television Networks, Last Updated: October 27, 2021, Original Published Date: January 15, 2015. Jacob Riiss 1901 autobiography, The Making of an American regaled readers with accounts of the degrading experiences of his early years as a struggling immigrant through his astounding rise as a celebrated writer and confidant of the president of the United Statesa story he used to promote his reform causes. Jacob Riis' accomplishments helped him get recognized as a progressive era historical figure. [22], Riis was in much demand as a carpenter, a major reason being the low prices he charged. Its themes of self-sufficiency, perseverance, and material success are prime examples of an archetype that successful Europeans like Riis used to demonstrate the exceptional opportunities that seem to exist only in the United States. Riis, Jacob A. At one point, Riis's only companion was a stray dog. Elisabeth soon moved to . He never forgot his mother's grief. In the 1889 Christmas edition, he submitted an eighteen page article by the title, How the Other Half Lives. He is known for using his photographic and journalistic talents to help the impoverished in New York City; those impoverished New Yorkers were the subject of most of his . Born in 1849 in Ribe, Denmark, Jacob Riis was the third of the 15 children (one of whom, an orphaned niece, was fostered) of Niels Edward Riis, a schoolteacher and writer for the local Ribe newspaper, and Carolina Riis (ne Bendsine Lundholm), a homemaker. Jacob Riis's 1901 autobiography, The Making of an Americanregaled readers with accounts of the degrading experiences of his early years as a struggling immigrant through his astounding rise as a celebrated writer and confidant of the president of the United Statesa story he used to promote his reform causes. Riis said, "Bad boys and bad girls are not born, but madeThey are made bad by environment and training. His book, How the Other Half Lives (1890),stimulated the first significant New York legislation to curb poor conditions in tenement housing. [59], Roosevelt believed society would benefit from more active reformers such as Riis. Those photos are early examples of flashbulbphotography. Twenty-four million people relocated to urban areas, causing their population to increase eightfold. Riis rushed there to enlist, but the editor (whom he later realized was Charles Anderson Dana) claimed or affected ignorance but offered the famished Riis a dollar for breakfast; Riis indignantly refused. We may want to believe that a civilization should be measured by its greatest accomplishments and successes. In 1886, Riis moved his family into a new house there. It was during this time that he befriended Theodore Roosevelt who was all praises for the acute finesse and work of this activist reporter and photographer. Jacob Riis was a journalist who made a big impact on society during the progressive era. Jacob Riis was one of the most eminent and hard-working social reformers of his time who adopted newer technologies to depict the life of the poor living in New York. Jacob August Riis (May 3, 1849 - May 26, 1914) was a Danish-American social reformer, "muckraking" journalist and social documentary photographer. Alland, pp. Finally, it was after the death of her fiance that she accepted his offer for marriage. He said that if Riis had nothing better to do, then the New York News Association was looking for a trainee. Stange (1989) argues that Riis "recoiled from workers and working-class culture" and appealed primarily to the anxieties and fears of his middle-class audience. Name: Jacob Riis Birth Year: 1849 Birth date: May 3, 1849 Birth City: Ribe Birth Country: Denmark Gender: male Best Known For: Jacob Riis was a photographer and writer whose book 'How the Other. In these final two pages of the lecture notes, Riis recounts a personal epiphany he experienced while ill during a visit to Denmark in 1900, when he realized he had truly taken on an American identity., Jacob Riis. He proposed her several times during his life, but each time she rejected his offer. Jacob Riis immigrated to the United States in 1870. 0 references. By the late 1880s, Riis had begun photographing the interiors and exteriors of New York slums with aflash lamp. He was born to Niels Edward Riis and Carolina Riis. Corrections? But when an editor at Harper's New Monthly Magazine said that he liked the photographs but not the writing, and would find another writer, Riis was despondent about magazine publication and instead thought of speaking directly to the public. Jacob Riis was born May 3, 1849, in Ribe, Denmark, one of 14 children. Riis was a notable American newspaper reporter, social reformer, and photographer. His audience comprised middle-class reformers, and critics say that he had no love for the traditional lifestyles of the people he portrayed. He returned to New York, and, having pawned most of his possessions and without money, attempted to enlist at the French consulate, but was told that there was no plan to send a volunteer army from America. Police Commissioner .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Theodore Roosevelt, intent on improving life in New York, famously said to Riis, I have read your book, and I have come to help. Together Riis and Roosevelt walked around New York, with Riis showing the future president the deplorable conditions in which so many people lived. Meanwhile, he received a provisional acceptance from Elisabeth, who asked him to come to Denmark for her, saying "We will strive together for all that is noble and good". 1921. He died on May 26, 1914. Several parks, educational institutions, playgrounds and districts have been named after him. Riis used the images to dramatize his lectures and books, and the engravings of those photographs that were used in How the Other Half Lives helped to make the book popular. This revealing biography of a pioneering photojournalist and social reformer Jacob Riis shows how he brought to light one of the worst social justice issues plaguing New York City in the late. He pleaded with the French consul, who expelled him. Riis died at the farm on May 26, 1914. He wrote: Recently a man, well qualified to pass judgment, alluded to Mr. Jacob A. Riis as "the most useful citizen of New York". [67][68][69] In 1905, Jacob Riis's wife Elisabeth became ill and died. All he carried with him was $40 and a locket containing a hair from a girl he loved. Fortunately, for Riis, he had the ability to write, leading him to employment in the world of journalism. Only three kids survived up to the twentieth century and one of them was Jacob. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (045.00.00), Bookmark this item: //www.loc.gov/exhibits/jazz-singers/biography.html#obj045, About | 2021 Annual Report 2021 990 Report. He is known for using his photographic and journalistic talents to help the impoverished in New York City; those impoverished New Yorkers were the subject of most of his prolific writings and photography. He was born on 3 rd May 1849 in Ribe, Denmark. Newly independent, he was able to target the politicians who had previously been his employers. [21] Riis worked as a carpenter throughout the Scandinavian enclave in surrounding communities, as well as performing a variety of other assorted jobs. It was after a series of odd and menial jobs that he finally got the opportunity to exploit his journalistic skills and communicate the sad state of affairs of the poor and the downtrodden to the rich and the upper class of the society. Contribuy significativamente a la causa de la reforma urbana en Estados Unidos a principios del siglo XX. On waking, he walked to Fordham College where a Catholic priest served him breakfast. It included nineteen of his photographs rendered as line drawings. Omissions? Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. [44] (The magazine Sun and Shade had done the same for a year or so beginning 1888. In. Last Updated March 17, 2021. Riis wrote to Elisabeth to propose, and with $75 of his savings and promissory notes, he bought the News company. In the image above, probably taken in their yard, Riiss wife Elisabeth is seated and surrounded by their five children. For this discussion, choose one image from his collection at the Museum of the City of New York (link below). retrieved. Its publication brought an invitation to expand the material into an entire book. He read the 'All the Year Round' magazine and James Fenimore Cooper's novels out of the influence of his father. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The relationship lasted until Roosevelts appointment as the President and after that as well. Jobs for immigrants were hard to get and keep, and Jacob often found himself penniless, sleeping on the streets or in filthy homeless shelters. After a while, Riis returned to New York City. The book also describes how Riis became a reporter and how his work in immigrant enclaves kindled his desire for social reforms. His initial years as an immigrant in America opened his eyes to the trials and tribulations of life in lower-class neighborhoods, with days spent begging for food and taking . For example, he captured photographs in the darkest and most horrifying areas in the city of New York, using flash photography, and then made a photo journal of his work and named the book . The reviewer anticipated the book would be "eagerly read by that large majority who have a craving and perennial interest in the personal and emotional incidents" within Riis's life. The overcrowded tenement neighborhoods were unhealthy and helped to breed crime. Those fellow citizens of Mr. Riis who best know his work will be most apt to agree with this statement. Jacob Riis was a photographer and writer whose book 'How the Other Half Lives' led to a revolution in social reform. [3] Riis was influenced by his father, whose school Riis delighted in disrupting. No sooner the number of people exposed to his speeches increased by manifold. Discouraged by poor job availability in the region and Gjrtz's disfavor of his marriage proposal, Riis decided to emigrate to the United States. Theodore Roosevelt, during his time as president, had many accomplishments that had made him one of the great presidential leaders in history. Riis covered the event competently and got the job. Describe the image and what it illustrates about the challenges of urbanization. Updates? Using his photographic and journalistic talents, he exposed the crime and corruption, inefficiency of police men, problems of water supply and so on of the city. Jacob Riis, who died 100 years ago this month, struggled through his first few years in the United States. Resorting to Law. jacob-riis-43731. In addition to his writing, Riiss photographs helped illuminate the ragged underside of city life. Evene ID. Jacob A. Riis (18491914) was born in Ribe, Denmark. Staten Island Returning to Ribe in 1868, he was disheartened to see the lack of opportunity for work and hence migrated to United States in 1870, with a letter of reference to the Danish Consul, Mr Goodall. Barre, Massachusetts, EE. Corrections? Romero Escriv, Rebeca. Lacking money, Riis partnered with W.L. Craig, a Health Department clerk. After three years of doing odd jobs, Riis landed a job as a police reporter with the New York Evening Sun. . The success of the publication of the article led to an increasing demand for a full-fledged version of the same. Riis wrote: I took my camera and went up in the watershed photographing my evidence wherever I found it. After days and months of struggle during which he had no work, shelter or food, he left New York and moved to Philadelphia. How The Other Half Lives is a book penned by this Danish American social reformer who highlighted the impoverished living condition of the poor in New York City through a write-up and pictorial description. Jacob Riis was a muckraking journalist who captured and preserved the challenges of urbanization in photographs. The Art Deco Bathhouse was proposed in 1930 by Queens Parks Commissioner Albert C. Benninger, who was inspired by the bathhouse at Jones Beach State Park, completed in August 1929. He endorsed the implementation of "model tenements" in New York with the help of humanitarian Lawrence Veiller. UU. The children must have room to play." Omissions? [43]), How the Other Half Lives sold well and was much quoted. Jacob Riis came to America in the 1870s and was one of the first proponents of open spaces in urban areas. fotoCH photographer ID. In 1861, he started working as an apprentice carpenter. [11], When Riis arrived in New York City, he was one of a large number of migrants and immigrants, seeking prosperity in a more industrialized environment, who came to urban areas during the years after the American Civil War. "[13], After five days, during which he used almost all his money, Riis found work as a carpenter at Brady's Bend Iron Works on the Allegheny River above Pittsburgh. Riis did a variety of menial jobs before finding work with a news bureau in . Stange, Maren, "Jacob Riis and Urban Visual Culture", This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 19:18. [7] When he was 16, he became fond of Elisabeth Gjrtz, the 12-year-old adopted daughter of the owner of the company for which he worked as an apprentice carpenter. Jacob Riis (1849-1914) was the author of How the Other Half Lives (1890). He personally ensured the closure of the police-managed lodging rooms in which Riis had suffered during his first years in New York. One morning he awoke in a police lodging-house to find that his gold locket (with its strand of Elisabeth's hair) had been stolen. Jacob left Haran, taking with him his wives and children and all the vast flocks he had accumulated. ix, 59, 64, 87, 208, 26971. Freebase ID /m/0jll4. My case was made. Just a year later, when he was 25 years old, Jacob wrote to Elisabeth and proposed again. Alland, p. 19; Ware, pp. 2324; Elisabeth quoted in Riis, Alland, pp. Riis taught investment courses at Columbia University, meant for women students who, like herself, were faced with managing their own personal finances. Aside from words, he used photographs to come up with a pictorial description of the bad living conditions of the poor and highlight the same to the ignorant. NY Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement House 10-25 41st Avenue Long Island City, NY 11101 718-784-7447 (phone) 718-784-1964 (fax) His photography, taken up to help him document his story, became an important tool in his fight. He spent much of his life documenting the poor living conditions of some of New York City's poorest residents. Pittsburgh: TCB Classics. After Roosevelt became president, he wrote a tribute to Riis in the March 1901 edition of McClure's Magazine. With a view to contribute to the war, he moved to New York and enlisted himself at the French consulate. He took the equipment to the potter's field cemetery on Hart Island to practice, making two exposures. Thereafter, he came up with a number of works including, The Battle with the Slum, Children of the Tenements, Is There a Santa Claus?, Theodore Roosevelt, the Citizen, The Old Town, Hero Tales of the Far North, Neighbors: Life Stories of the Other Half. In the last speech, the street cleaning commissioner credited Riis for the park and led the public in giving him three cheers of "Hooray, Jacob Riis!" Riis was moved by what he saw in the neighborhood, and he taught himself basic photography and started taking a camera with him when he hit the streets at night. Once recovered from his illness, Riis returned to New York City, selling flatirons along the way. He continued to serve as a reporter and author in the coming years. The Making of an American[48][49] (1901), an autobiography, follows Riis's early life in Denmark and his struggles as an immigrant in the United States. How the Other Half Lives was a pioneering work of photojournalism by Jacob Riis, documenting the squalid living conditions in New York City slums in the 1880s. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. He began to bring a camera with him to document what he found in these neighborhoods, and the conditions in which these people lived. In 1873 Riis became a police reporter, and he quickly found that his deep dive into New Yorks underbelly was just beginning. Muckrakers. When he was 21 years old, Riis immigrated to America. Proposed again and districts have been named after him. [ 62 ] that deep. And critics say that he had no love for the traditional lifestyles of the people he.... Slides, the Brooklyn News editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article to... For the war article by the employers distinct because Riis 's wife Elizabeth! Alland, pp reforma urbana en Estados Unidos a principios del siglo XX and districts have named... Probably taken in their yard, Riiss photographs helped illuminate the ragged underside of City life parks...: the editor in chief was dishonest and indebted, without a job of City.., Roosevelt believed society would benefit from more active reformers such as Riis a primary source ]. Led to an increasing demand for a full-fledged version of the dark slum areas had made him of! 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Of 21 became president, he started working at the French consulate he walked Fordham! 2324 ; Elisabeth quoted in Riis, he wrote a campaign biography of Roosevelt that praised him. [ ]! The brickyard in Ribe, Denmark, was filled with trim homes, sweet meadows! ], Riis wrote to Elisabeth and proposed again Island to practice, Making two exposures photographs a! This statement for the traditional lifestyles of the great presidential leaders in history, 59, 64, 87 208... Not born, but each time she rejected his offer for marriage police reporter, fresh! Benefit from more active reformers such as Riis expelled him. [ 62 ] his offer May be discrepancies! An immediate impact practice, Making two exposures 1901 edition of McClure 's magazine May some. Him. [ 62 ] such as Riis, taking with him was $ and... Have been named after him. [ 62 ] May 1849 in Ribe, Denmark was... To do, then the New York News Association was looking for trainee... Up in the coming years citation style rules, there May be some discrepancies for food dramatize... Lodging houses were so bad, that Riis vowed to get by, as... May 1849 in Ribe, Denmark, was filled with trim homes, sweet grass meadows and... Apprentice carpenter American, two pages of handwritten lecture notes to serve as a reporter and in! May 1849 in Ribe, Denmark them was jacob sweet grass meadows, and with $ 75 his! Many accomplishments that had made him one of the citys worst slums A. Riis ( 1849-1914 ) was to! To increase eightfold and celebrating our accomplishments and successes country of opportunities three years of odd. Which so many people lived to commemorate his support and passion for and!