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- Collection: Life at the Jacob Riis Settlement House and in Progressive Era New York
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A Fourth Ward Colony
This particular illustration by W.H. Drake is a depiction of a tenement located in James Street in New York City's Fourth Ward. Drake and his wife happened to live in complete squalor in James Street and both earned only a few cents and a few pounds…
A Seven-Cent Lodging House in the Bowery
Lodging houses were commonplace establishments in late 19th century New York City. There were different lodging houses categorized by price in cents- the higher the number of cents, the better the quality of the lodging house. A seven-cent lodging…
A Typical Scene on the Bowery
This still image of the Bowery happened to come from a book about African Americans and the special institutions established throughout the United States for the sake of giving them a good education. The Bowery, like the rest of New York, is a…
Children Playing in Garbage Can
This candid picture of young children playing around a garbage can was originally used as an illustration of an article titled "Annexing Mulberry Bend to the U.S.A. by Jessie Tarbox Beals. The caption was "In a Mulberry Bend Court", even though the…
Helping the Poor- The Bowery Branch of the Young Men's Christian Association
Keetels' illustration of The Bowery Branch of the Young Men's Christian Association gives a full view of the inner workings of the branch. The branch consisted of a New York City Mission, a chapel, a reading and sitting room, dormitories, a library…
Immigration at Ellis Island
The Ellis Island Immigration Station not only played a significant role in New York City history but also in the history of the Progressive Era as well. It was the first location in America where millions of immigrants arrived to from their distant…
In A Sweat Shop
Riis No. 149 1/2. In a Sweat Shop c. 1890. 12 year old boy at work "pulling threads." Had sworn certificate he was 16 - owned under cross examination to being 12. His teeth corresponded with that age.
Jersey Street
This drawing by W.H. Drake was originally used in the Forty-First Annual Report of the New York Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor, for the year 1884 as a illustration of slums located in Jersey Street. Years later, in 1902, Riis…
Little Susie (Gotham Court)
This photograph of Little Susie was originally found on pages 109 and 110 in Jacob Riis' "The Children of the Poor".