<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> <P> In February 1889, Riis wrote a magazine article based on his lectures in Scribner magazine, which was a resounding success . The book version of Riis' work was published in January 1890 as How the Other Half Lives: Studies among the Tenements of New York . </P> <P> The title of the book is a reference to a sentence by French writer François Rabelais, who wrote in Pantagruel: "one half of the world does not know how the other half lives" ("la moytié du monde ne sait comment l'autre vit"). </P> <P> How the Other Half Lives: Studies among the Tenements of New York explained the living conditions in New York slums as well as the sweatshops in some tenements, which paid workers only a few cents per day . The book explains the plight of working children; they would work in factories and at other jobs . Some children became garment workers and newsies (newsboys). </P>

Historical context of how the other half lives