Which journalist exposed the harsh conditions of tenement housing and authored How The Other Half Lives in 1890?

Which journalist exposed the harsh conditions of tenement housing and authored How The Other Half Lives in 1890?

• A. Jacob Riis
• B. Ida Tarbell
• C. Upton Sinclair
• D. Florence Kelley

Answer: (A)

Exposure of urban poverty through photojournalism and reform-minded writing changed how people viewed tenement life in the late 1800s. Jacob Riis used photography—often in stark, public displays of tenement rooms and streets—alongside compelling narrative in How The Other Half Lives (1890) to bring the harsh conditions of New York City's tenements to middle-class readers. The vivid images and descriptions made abstract poverty feel real and urgent, helping spur housing reform and new city ordinances during the Progressive Era. This approach—showing social problems directly to the public to prompt change—defines Riis’s impact. The other figures mentioned were influential in different areas: Ida Tarbell investigated corruption and monopolies like Standard Oil; Upton Sinclair exposed the meatpacking industry in The Jungle; Florence Kelley championed workers’ rights and consumer protection. None authored How The Other Half Lives, so Riis is the correct figure.

Exposure of urban poverty through photojournalism and reform-minded writing changed how people viewed tenement life in the late 1800s. Jacob Riis used photography—often in stark, public displays of tenement rooms and streets—alongside compelling narrative in How The Other Half Lives (1890) to bring the harsh conditions of New York City's tenements to middle-class readers. The vivid images and descriptions made abstract poverty feel real and urgent, helping spur housing reform and new city ordinances during the Progressive Era.

This approach—showing social problems directly to the public to prompt change—defines Riis’s impact. The other figures mentioned were influential in different areas: Ida Tarbell investigated corruption and monopolies like Standard Oil; Upton Sinclair exposed the meatpacking industry in The Jungle; Florence Kelley championed workers’ rights and consumer protection. None authored How The Other Half Lives, so Riis is the correct figure.