COVE

Three Guadeloupean Women, photographed c. 1900. by Augustus Sherman.

Augustus Frederick Sherman worked as a clerk at Ellis Island from 1892 until his death in 1925. Despite being untrained in the art of photography, he was fascinated by portraiture, and more so, fascinated by the millions of immigrants who passed through his place of work. He was particularly entranced by cultural dress and appearance, intentionally photographing those whose clothing was spectacular to him. As a hobby, he captured the faces of many of the individuals and families who came to America’s entryway in hopes of prosperity and happiness. He documented the moments inside of Ellis Island; people on the precipice of immense change, full of hope, delight, fear and uncertainty. His photographs were unofficially used by immigration officials to promote the Ellis island facilities, though there is little information about when his completed collection of portraits was released. As of now, many of his portraits can be found online.

“Augustus Frederick Sherman.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 June 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus_Frederick_Sherman. 

Chalasani, Radhika. “Ellis Island circa 1900.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 3 Nov. 2015, www.cbsnews.com/pictures/ellis-island-melting-pot-immigrant-portraits/8/.