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Jacob August Riis Research Paper

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A cramped, smoky room filled with people working. A mother holding her child and gathering rags. The sick sleeping on the ground. What do these images have in common? They are all examples of photographs taken by a turn of the 19th century photographer named Jacob August Riis. Riis was not only a photographer, but also a reporter, a writer and a reformer. He used his skills to spur reforms and spur the minds of the public and the government throughout his life. Riis had his beginnings in the humble town of Ribe, Denmark (Jacob). He was born in May of 1849 to his father, Niels Riis, a schoolteacher, and his mother, Carolina Riis. From his father, he began to learn English at a young age. He grew up reading books written by great writers such

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