How the Other Half Lives is set in New York City, written by Riis in 1888, and published in 1890. This period of time, known as the progressive era, coincided with major scientific and technological advancements, as well as cultural upheaval and reform. This period of time birthed artistic experimentation and opposition to tradition, which provoked backlash from prominent Christians and social reformers. Though well-intentioned, many of these reformers ended up doing more harm than good, at times stigmatizing the communities they sought to help.
Contextually, it is important to note that social reform movements were often heavily enmeshed within the eugenics movement, a subset of the field of genetics that sought to 'improve' humanity by preventing undesirable people from reproducing. This movement grew in infamy under the Nazi regime in Germany (much later, in the 1930s and 40s). Eugenics gained traction at the turn of the 20th century with the rediscovery of Gregor Mendel's experiments and the subsequent birth of modern genetics as a scientific field. Riis would have been writing How the Other Half Lives at the very outset of this movement, while it was still in its earlier stages, taking inspiration from the works of Charles Darwin and his cousin, Francis Galton.
