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"The Slaves of the Sweaters."

A New York immigrant tailor’s family returns from a contractor, carrying material to be sewn into garments back home. Scenes of urban poverty, such as this one depicted in an 1890 engraving, were featured in illustrated newspapers. Photography and individual “art” prints, however, tended to celebrate the city, with depopulated images focusing on the “grand style” architecture of new buildings or constructing distant bird’s-eye views of ideal urban landscapes.

Source: William A. Rogers, Harper’s Weekly, April 26, 1890—American Social History Project.

Who Built America? An Open Educational Resource has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and funding from The Ford Foundation, Digital Scholar, and the City University of New York Central Office of Library Services. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this Open Educational Resource, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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