A Down-Town Morgue
Title
A Down-Town Morgue
Subject
A Saloon or Beer Dive
Description
The image is a saloon or beer dive because alcohol bottles are displayed behind the bar. Black and white men patronize the facility. Their clothing is tattered, in disrepair, and dirty. The expressions on the patrons’ faces are serious or staring forward. Lighting is limited to one light and the ceiling is low so this saloon/dive is in a basement of a building. Riis’ title of the photograph refers to his view of the deathly and harmful effects of alcohol and such institutions. Maggie would have been in contact with such an atmosphere.
Creator
Jacob Riis
Source
Riis, Jacob. How the Other Half Lives. 1890. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1971. 164. Print.
Publisher
Dover Publications, Inc.
Date
December 9, 2015
Contributor
Gary Guy
Coverage
1880s-1890
Files
Collection
Citation
Jacob Riis, “A Down-Town Morgue,” Three Decades of NYC, accessed April 28, 2024, http://www.loyolanotredamelib.org/en203/items/show/95.