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Jacob Riis's Old Photos Of North Brother Island
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jan 13, 2012
Modified Feb 3, 2012
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Jan 13, 2012
Modified Feb 3, 2012
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We've seen some current day photos of the abandoned North Brother Island (not to be confused with South Brother Island), but now we offer a glimpse at it through Jacob Riis's camera lens. These photos were all taken in 1890, about 28 years before Typhoid Mary was confined there, and five years after it became inhabited (in 1885, Riverside Hospital moved there from Blackwell's Island (now Roosevelt Island). This was also about 14 years before the General Slocum wrecked on the island—which there are plenty of disturbing photos of.
Riis wrote a short story about the island, as well, titled In The Children's Hospital, which you can read here.
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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