Immigrant Pictures of New York

A journalist named Jacob Riis was appalled when he saw the living conditions of immigrants in New York in the late 1800s.  He believed that something had to be done so he started to take pictures of the living situations of immigrants.  Riis became a Social Reformer and took many pictures of immigrants in hopes that people would see the pictures and want to change things for the better.

Fast forward to today.  Fred R. Conrad, a photographer, was interested in the photos that Riis took and wanted to recreate them.  By using a 1950 plate camera to replicate the photos taken in the 1800s, Conrad hired actors to portray the immigrants in similar situations.

Want to see the pictures he took?  Click here to see the slideshow!