Tag: medical exams

02/23/11

Faith and Hope, Come to America

"Inspection room, Ellis Island, New York."

“Inspection room, Ellis Island, New York.” Between 1910 and 1920. Touring Turn-of-the-Century America: Photographs from the Detroit Publishing Company, 1880-1920.

Bride Of An Iowan Farmer Coming To Her New Home

Both of these two pictures were taken in the 1910′, Ellis Island. The top one depicts the “”Inspection room,” where the immigrants pass through a detailed process of examination; the second portray was taken by a camera man during ten days of observation in the island, which portrayed a foreign bride of an Iowan farmer. We can see through the bride’s eyes that full of hope and faith in the future, dream of the new life in this magic land, become one of these freedom American. However, before she entitled to enter this free country, she have to pass this physical examination and the exam by an inspector who asks the long list of questions required by the law. Some might be inadmissible.

02/18/11

Immigrants and Ellis Island

Medical examination Ellis Island, 1910, from Library of Congress
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Ellis Island, 1911, from Library of Congress

The pictures are from the Library of Congress. Although both pictures depict the immigrants in Ellis Island around the same time, the pictures are taken under different circumstances. The first one was taken while the officers were giving medical examinations to the immigrants, so the photographer can record a natural depiction of the scene. On the other hand, the second picture was taken while everyone was aware of the photographer, so most of the people in the second picture was looking straight to the camera. Despite of the different atmosphere in the photographs, both pictures convey a sense of weariness. This is reasonable because the long and tedious immigration processes could only wear out the liveliness of the immigrants and officers.