Gilded Age Visual Media as the Impetus for Social Change: Jacob Riis's Reform Photography and the Antecedents of Documentary Film

Abstract

This study examines the birth and evolution of the social documentary genre in visual media. It suggests that a mixture of ideology, technology, and social awareness are necessary for a successful social reform. It finds that despite the limitations of technology during the nineteenth century, social documentaries were produced long before they were part of the genres of photography and film. By focusing on the work of Danish photographer Jacob Riis and tracing the emergence of film, this study demonstrates a connection between documentary film and Riis’s social documentary photography and public slide exhibitions. The study concludes that in order to understand the present, one must study the past, and in these terms, Riis’s work could be viewed as a precursor of the social documentary genre in visual media. Ultimately, the findings demonstrate the importance of visual documentaries, the idea that it anchors historical and collective memory, and that its history is still relevant to the twenty-first century. Significance of the Study Implementing developmental and progressive historiography, this study of Riis’s work finds a revolutionary role for him in the fields of journalism and social documentary. It illuminates his efforts and demonstrates his value as an ethnographer, journalist, and documentary film producer. The study discusses the significance of creating credible social images and the effectiveness of framing personal observations to create social awareness. It addresses the impact of Riis’s efforts from the perspective of a rhetorician and an ethnographer, discussing the journalistic value of his work.