<P> Jacob Riis emigrated from Denmark in 1870 to New York City eager to prove himself . Finding it difficult to find work, he found a home in the slums of New York's Lower East Side . He went back to Denmark for a short period of time, returning to New York to become a police reporter . During this time, Riis became a devout Christian and devoted himself to "the service of God and his fellows ." </P> <P> Riis turned to photography as a sort of "pastime" and found it a useful tool when writing his police reports . Once he began using magnesium flash powder, he was able to capture the dark and dingy conditions of the tenements . </P> <P> How the Other Half Lives was only one book in Riis' bibliography of highlighting the conditions in the slums of New York . Some of his other works that highlighted more in depth views into slum life were Children of the Tenements, The Battle with the Slums, and Out of Mulberry Street . </P> <P> In January 1888, Riis bought a detective camera and went on an expedition to gather images of what life was like in the slums of New York City . This both included Riis taking his own photos as well as him using the images of other photographers . Finally, on January 28, 1888, Riis presented "The Other Half: How It Lives and Dies in New York" using his images on a projection screen and taking the viewer on a journey by describing the images . Throughout 1888, Riis continued his lectures in local New York City churches, which were reviewed in several newspapers including New York Sun, Brooklyn Times, New York Evening Post, and Harper's . </P>

What was the impact of how the other half lives