How did the press treat Jacob Riis during his lifetime?

Credit Wikipedia 

        Jacob Riis was well revered and admired by not only the press but the general public. During his lifetime Riis did much work in social reform through his photojournalism and documentation. Thanks to the new flash camera technology's help, he captured the "unseen" and brought to light the cruel living conditions of the poor in New York City tenements during the late 1800s.

Credit Library of Congress

        Riis grew in prominence after his book How the Other Half Lives was released in 1890. Before this the there wasn't very much recorded or said about him in the papers. When I searched through sources to document the way people perceived Riis while he was alive, I was not surprised that I only was able to find positive remarks. To start my research, I used Gale Primary sources. I looked through the American Historical Periodicals section to gain better insight into what the news media of the day was reporting about Jacob Riis. 

        In a report by The Woman's Journal, Riis was mention in an educational sense, as the article named books and resources for where a particular committee could study a brief overview of social conditions to better understand the ways people were living. 1 (1899, April 8)

        The following newspaper article I found was from Denver News, in a column titled Gossip and Cleanings. The piece was centered around holistic ways of living and how Jacob Riis in his second book A Ten Years War has "has afforded much encouragement to those who hope for better things among the denizens of the city wildness. This column goes on to cite Riis and say "That when schools playgrounds, parks, swimming baths, and gymnasiums are built for the youth of the east side New York, the millennium is near." I found it particularly interesting to read this as it was over 100 years ago but still resonates with current times, we're living in the age of a new millennium, and its disheartening to think we still have some of the same issues pertaining to infrastructure and there are still people living in dire conditions or homeless, which is something Riis had sought to change. 2 (1900, March 24)

Riis & Roosevelt

        Not only did Riis receive good press from the papers, but he even was highly regarded by none other than the current President at the time, Theodore Roosevelt. The two first met during Riis's first job as a crime reporter for NYC, where he frequently worked with the police commissioner, who happened to be Theodore Roosevelt. An article by the Woman's Journal explains a story of a lady meeting with the President, and she describes how she felt as if she already knew him partly through his photo and partly through Jacob Riis. Theodore Roosevelt later said, "Mr. Riis is the finest citizen in New York." 3 (1902, February 22)

        Throughout his lifetime, Jacob Riis did much to improve others' lives. He was a big inspiration for many, and everyone seemed to greatly appreciate his dedication to improving the poor's living conditions. 

Gale Primary sources American Historical periodicals 

Women's Clubs and Club Women. (1899, April 8). The Woman's Journal, 30(14), 106. https://link-gale-com.libproxy.highpoint.edu/apps/doc/VBKTAB890475452/AAHP?u=hpu_main&sid=AAHP&xid=0cca28bd

Denver News. (1900, March 24). Gossip and Gleanings. The Woman's Journal, 31(12), 91. https://link-gale-com.libproxy.highpoint.edu/apps/doc/EUZJZA697835560/AAHP?u=hpu_main&sid=AAHP&xid=4dd87788

A. S. B. (1902, February 22). Washington Notes. The Woman's Journal, 33(8), 60. https://link-gale-com.libproxy.highpoint.edu/apps/doc/UMDPGW267720238/AAHP?u=hpu_main&sid=AAHP&xid=646d0d51

Shaw, H. A. (1903, December 26). Mrs. Shaw Quotes Mr. Jacob Riis. The Woman's Journal, 34(52), 410+. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/YSCZJR011389255/AAHP?u=hpu_main&sid=AAHP&xid=3a9c13ef