Jacob Riis

   Jacob August Riis was a Danish American journalist and photographer born May 3,1849 in Ribe, Denmark and died May 26, 1914 in Barre, MA. Not only was he a great photographer nut he wrote books as well like The Children of the Poor and How the other half lives. Riis used his photographic and journalistic talents to help the less fortunate in NYC and the poor homeless New Yorkers were the subject of most of his photographs and journals. While he was living in New York Riis experienced poverty for himself as well while he was working as a police reporter writing about life in the slums. He though if he exposed their living conditions to the upper classes it could help to get them out of poverty. Jacob Riis used his photography talents to help make the world a better place and this proves that there really is no limits to photography.