Augustus Francis Sherman, the chief registry clerk at New York's Ellis Island, took these photographs of immigrants between 1904 and 1924. An avid amateur photographer, Sherman's photographs were not taken in an official capacity, but they were used by immigration officials to promote the work of Ellis Island. Sherman took photographs of families, groups, and individuals who were being detained either for medical reasons or for further interrogation. In some cases, such as his images of a gypsy family, the subjects of photographs were deported. Over the course of his career at Ellis Island, Sherman took more than 200 pictures, often encouraging his subjects to open their suitcases and put on their elaborate national costumes or folk dress.
The photographs are part of the collection of the New York Public Library.
