Introduction
Jacob August Riis (; May 3, 1849 – May 26, 1914) was a Danish-American social reformer, "muckraking" journalist and social documentary photographer. 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 endorsed the implementation of "model tenements" in New York with the help of humanitarian Lawrence Veiller. Additionally, as one of the most famous proponents of the newly practicable casual photography, he is considered one of the fathers of photography due to his very early adoption of flash in photography. While living in New York, Riis experienced poverty and became a police reporter writing about the quality of life in the slums. He attempted to alleviate the bad living conditions of poor people by exposing their living conditions to the middle and upper classes.
Wikidata
Q379211
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Introduction
American author.
Nationality
American
Gender
Male
Roles
Artist, Author, Journalist, Photographer
Names
Jacob August Riis, Jacob August Riss, Jacob A. Riis
Ulan
500063987
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Information from Getty’s Union List of Artist Names ® (ULAN), made available under the ODC Attribution License