Jacob Riis, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Jacob Riis

American photographer, journalist and activist

Date of Birth: 03-May-1849

Place of Birth: Ribe, Region of Southern Denmark, Denmark

Date of Death: 26-May-1914

Profession: photographer, writer, biographer, photojournalist, journalist

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Taurus

Jacob August Riis (; May 3, 1849 – May 26, 1914) was a Danish-American social reformer, "muckraking" journalist and social documentary photographer.
He contributed significantly to the cause of urban reform in America at the turn of the twentieth century.
He is known for using his photographic and journalistic talents to help the impoverished in New York City; those impoverished New Yorkers were the subject of most of his prolific writings and photography.
He endorsed the implementation of "model tenements" in New York with the help of humanitarian Lawrence Veiller.
Additionally, as one of the most famous proponents of the newly practicable casual photography, he is considered one of the fathers of photography due to his very early adoption of flash in photography. While living in New York, Riis experienced poverty and became a police reporter writing about the quality of life in the slums.
He attempted to alleviate the bad living conditions of poor people by exposing their living conditions to the middle and upper classes.



Alternative names	Ian Pirie MacDonald; Pirie McDonald
Description	American photographer
Date of birth/death	22 January 1867	22 April 1942
Location of birth/death	Chicago, Illinois	New York
Work period	1883–1942
Work location	New York City
Authority control	: Q7197986 VIAF: 23324917 ISNI: 0000 0000 6686 3520 ULAN: 500049577 LCCN: no2005067111 Open Library: OL4994823A WorldCat