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Also go to Jacob Riis.
Jim
Jacob Riis - The Other Half by Matthew Power
But regardless of his philosophy, Riis's photographs remain indelible.
Making use of newly invented magnesium flash powder, he brought the brilliant light of a new medium to bear on a netherworld that had never been photographically recorded.
He shot the down-and-out occupants of darkened Bowery basements and Chinatown opium dens, his subjects caught unawares.
The dingy and cluttered rooms, lighted bright as day for a split-second exposure, are immediate and revelatory, and remain extraordinarily persuasive as evidence of the squalor Riis sought to combat.
Matthew Power
