Housing, Conditions: United States. New Jersey. Newark: Housing Conditions in Newark, New Jersey: VI. A room which receives its sole light from a single window on a covered piazza. Three successive families living in this room have suffered from tuberculosis. (Source: James Ford: Housing Report to City Plan Commission of Newark, N.J., 1913) c. 1903

Curator: This is Jessie Tarbox Beals’s photograph, “Housing, Conditions: United States. New Jersey. Newark…” taken around 1913. What strikes you about it? Editor: It's incredibly stark and somber. The room looks so empty and bleak. What story do you think Beals was trying to tell here? Curator: Beals wasn't just documenting; she was indicting. How does this image function as a form of social commentary, challenging the systemic inequalities that led to such conditions? Think about the tuberculosis diagnosis. Editor: So, she's not just showing us poverty, but also its deadly consequences, right? Curator: Exactly! This image becomes a powerful indictment of the social structures that perpetuate such suffering. What could this photograph reveal about the intersection of poverty, public health, and social justice in early 20th-century America? Editor: It’s eye-opening to consider the photograph as more than just a visual, but as a call to action. Curator: Precisely! Beals’s work demonstrates how art can expose injustice, spark crucial conversations, and advocate for change.