Portraits Of Ellis Island Immigrants 1902-1913
For millions of immigrants, Ellis Island was the gateway to the United States -- the country's busiest reception and processing center from 1892 to 1954. These historical photographs capture the variety of cultures among those immigrants -- they were taken by Augustus Frederick Sherman, who worked there as a clerk. They were not taken for official purposes. Sherman was simply fascinated by the people he was meeting on a daily basis.
1
Georgian horsemen (circa 1906). Georgia has a long tradition of horsemanship and these two men were part of a larger group invited by Buffalo Bill to be part of his show.
2
Three Montenegrin men.
3
Romanian shepherds (circa 1910).
4
This German family is described as coming from eastern Europe, but there are no precise details of their origin.
5
A Russian mother with her baby. At the time of the photo, the child was 11 months old and weighed 55 pounds (25 kilograms).
6
Wallachian woman with her three young children. Wallachia or Walachia, is a historical and geographical region of Romania north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. The handwritten note says Austria -- some of these areas were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire prior to World War I.
7
A Ruthenian woman (circa 1906). The term Ruthenian is applied to some inhabitants of a cross-border region around the northern Carpathian Mountains, including western Ukraine, eastern Slovakia, and southern Poland.
8
Serbian Roma (circa 1906).
9
This photo, dated April 4, 1911, bears the description "Hindu Boy." It is not stated where he comes from.
10
Wilhelm Schleich, a miner from Hohenpeissenberg, Bavaria, Germany (circa 1906).
11
Three Dutch women.
12
An Albanian soldier.
13
A Romanian piper...
14
... and an Italian one (May 12, 1908).
15
Three young women from Slovakia.
16
A Moroccan family.