Documentary Photography: Jacob Riis And Mary Ellen Mark

Documentary Photography

One has often heard the phrase, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” When a person looks at a picture, it could take them back to their past or it could take them to a place they have never been. Photographs have the ability to describe scenes in a way that words cannot. One branch of photography, documentary photography, is particularly good at stepping in when words fail. Documentary photography was first introduced in the twentieth century when pictures were first used as a visual language. The two most stand-out photographers of the twentieth century were Jacob Riis and Mary Ellen Mark. Although they photographed different decades and social issues, their work brought light key historical moments of that time.

He was one of fifteen children to Niels Edward Riis, a schoolteacher, and Carolina Riis. Growing up, his biggest influencer was his father who encouraged him to read and learn English. Although his father wished for him to become a teacher, Riis chose carpentry and moved to Copenhagen to pursue an apprenticeship. At the age of 19, he moved back to his hometown but was faced with a lack of work. Discouraged by this, Riis decided to immigrate to the United States.

Riis migrated to America in 1870 when he was 21. He arrived at a time where the country was facing a vast number of immigrants during a time of social turmoil after the Civil War. As more and more people immigrated to urban areas, cities became more heterogeneous due to the large ethnic enclaves. Riis lived in numerous poor houses with other immigrants. The conditions of those poor houses were so ghastly and overcrowded that Riis dedicated himself to shutting them

Using this invention, he was able to take pictures of scenes with little light. He was able to capture the hardships of the poor and bring to light the difficulties they faced everyday. He first began showing his work as lantern slides as part of lectures that were presented as entertainment, however, he also published his work in a book called How the Other Half Lives. The book was published in 1890 and it became an international sensation. His writing coupled with his photographs made a powerful statement of society's indifference to the poor. As an advocate for the poor, oppressed, and exploited, Riis wrote how they were the victims of economic slavery. His writing brought shock and horror to the upper and middle class of New York. He also captured the attention of Theodore Roosevelt. After Roosevelt became governor, he closed down the poor-houses and enacted many reforms that helped combat the poverty in the slums. Roosevelt called Riis the “most useful citizen of New