Gallery Walk Activity In order to begin exploring the big idea of “ How does immigration impact a community?” , participants engaged in a gallery walk of Jacob Riis photos (circa 1890-1910s. ) These images give the viewer some insight into immigrant life at this time and allows the viewer to explore: How immigration at the turn of the century impacted living conditions, employment/working conditions, family life, opportunity and safety issues in New York City . Participants walked in teams to answer 4 guiding questions about each image. They left Post-Its of their Wonderings or lingering questions at each photo.

Background info on Jacob Riis ( photographer) Jacob Riis was born in Ribe, Denmark in 1849, and immigrated to New York in 1870. Unable to find work, he soon found himself living in police lodging houses, and begging for food. The conditions in the lodging houses were so bad, that Riis vowed to get them closed. After three years of doing odd jobs, Riis landed a job as a police reporter with the New York Evening Sun. He worked in the poorest, most crime – ridden areas of the city. These were generally neighborhoods where immigrants lived in deplorable tenement houses. He began to bring a camera with him to document what he found in these neighborhoods, and the conditions in which these people lived. For this, Riis is considered to be one of the fathers of modern photojournalism. His book How the Other Half Lives inspired then police commissioner Theodore Roosevelt to close the police lodging houses. It also brought about many needed reforms in housing laws. So important was Riis’s work, that Roosevelt called him "New York’s most useful citizen." One of the things that Jacob Riis recognized was the need for parks and open spaces. The overcrowded tenement neighborhoods were unhealthy and helped to breed crime. Riis said, "Bad boys and bad girls are not born, but made…They are made bad by environment and training. The children must have room to play." After Jacob Riis's death in 1914, it was decided to rename Seaside Park in Rockaway, New York in his honor. 

12 Year Old Boy at Work in a Sweatshop Wonderings What was this boy’s workday like? How long did he work? How much did he earn? How many people did he support with his wages?

Bowery Boys Bicycle Policemen Wonderings -Was this job considered at “good job” at the time? What opportunities did non-English speaking immigrants have ? Were they eligible for the police force?

5 Cents Lodging, Bayard Street C. 1889 Wonderings What did these men do for a living? How much did they earn? How much of their earnings was spent on lodging? How safe were these lodgings?

It Cost a Dollar a Month to Live in these Sheds c. 1890 Wonderings How safe was life in these sheds? What were some of the sanitation issues that arose from living in these sheds? Are these people working immigrants?

Family in a tenement Wonderings Were these lodgings considered middle class? What was the monthly cost? How many people lived in this space? How large was a typical tenement ? What were the cooking/bathroom facilities like in these tenements?

East Side School without Desks Wonderings Were girls enrolled at these schools? Was this an opportunity to receive an education that these immigrant children may not have had in their home countries?

Little Mother c. 1890 Wonderings Does this little girl provide the care for this infant while her parents work? Does this girl have the opportunity to go to school? Are they orphans ? IS this a common sight at this time ( of children caring for children)?

Children Sleeping on A Vent Wonderings What were some of the issues around safety for immigrant children at this time in history? Where are their parents ? Were many immigrant children forced to fend for themselves during this time?