Inspection at Ellis Island

Title: Inspection at Ellis Island
Subject: Inspection; Immigrants; Ellis Island (N.J. and N.Y.); Government; Women immigrants; Eye--Examination
Description: The medical examination is one of the most notorious aspects of Ellis Island during the first three decades of its existence. The eye exam, looking for trachoma, was the most dreaded by immigrants. Inspectors would use their bare hands or button hooks to peel back the lids and do a quick search. The sanitary conditions were noted to be horrible and many feared the spread of the disease by those doing the inspection.
Creator: Underwood & Underwood
Date: 1913
Source: Underwood & Underwood, U.S. inspectors examining eyes of immigrants, Ellis Island, New York Harbor, Underwood & Underwood, 1913; Libary of Congress, Photo, Print, Drawing, accessed https://www.loc.gov/item/97501532/
Rights: Public Domain
Type: Photograph
Format: PDF
Language: English
Coverage: The Development of Modern America (1865–1920)