Vintage Portraits of Immigrants Who Arrived on Ellis Island a Century Ago

Amateur photographer Augustus Sherman worked as a registry clerk on Ellis Island from 1892 until 1925.

During the time spent processing immigrants passing through New York Harbor, Sherman captured thousands of them in their cultural garments, leaving behind a fascinating collection of portraits.

The collection of portraits were originally published in National Geographic in 1907, and currently reside in the New York Public Library where they have been scanned and digitized for all to enjoy.

A German Stowaway. Portraits for Ellis Island.

Dutch Children. Portraits for Ellis Island.

Three Dutch Women. Portraits for Ellis Island.

A Greek Soldier. Portraits for Ellis Island.

A man from the Russian Empire. Portraits for Ellis Island.

Men from the Russian Empire. Portraits for Ellis Island.

An Algerian man. Portraits for Ellis Island.

A Bavarian man. Portraits for Ellis Island.

An Albanian soldier. Portraits for Ellis Island.

Children from Lapland. Portraits for Ellis Island.

A Woman from Lapland. Portraits for Ellis Island.

A Danish man. Portraits for Ellis Island.

A Guadeloupean woman. Portraits for Ellis Island.

Three women from Guadeloupe. Portraits for Ellis Island.

A Hindu boy. Portraits for Ellis Island.

An Italian woman. Portraits for Ellis Island.

A Norwegian woman. Portraits for Ellis Island.

A Romanian piper. Portraits for Ellis Island.

A Romanian shepherd. Portraits for Ellis Island.

A Ruthenian woman. Portraits for Ellis Island.

A Slovak woman and child. Portraits for Ellis Island.

Slovakian women. Portraits for Ellis Island.

via Washington Post

immigration
vintage photography

Ellis Island

New York, NY

Matt Coneybeare

Editor in Chief

Matt enjoys exploring the City's with his partner and son. He is an avid marathon runner, and spends most of his time eating, running, and working on cool stuff.

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