Primary Source:
"How the Other Half Lives" by Jacob Riis (1890)
This book is a collection of journalistic writings and photographs documenting the squalor and hardship of tenement life in New York City during the late 19th century. Riis, a Danish immigrant himself, used flash photography to capture the dark and crowded conditions of these buildings, giving readers a firsthand glimpse into the lives of the working poor. His powerful images and stark descriptions of poverty, disease, and despair served as a powerful indictment of the social conditions of the time and helped to spark reform efforts.
Secondary Source:
"The American City: A Social and Cultural History, 1877-1980" by Alexander B. Callow, Jr. (1999)
This book offers a comprehensive overview of urban life in America during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including a detailed analysis of the rise of tenement housing and its impact on the lives of immigrants and working-class families. It delves into the social, economic, and political factors that contributed to the development of these overcrowded and unhealthy living conditions, as well as the efforts to improve them. Callow synthesizes historical scholarship and primary sources to provide a balanced and nuanced account of tenement life and its lasting legacy.
These two sources offer contrasting perspectives on tenement life. Riis's work offers a direct, personal, and often emotionally charged perspective, providing a powerful and immediate experience of the conditions. Callow's book takes a broader, more analytical approach, providing context and analysis of tenement life within the larger historical context of urban development and social change.