Theodore Roosevelt

Born New York, New York

This bas-relief of Theodore Roosevelt was commissioned by his friend Jacob Riis, a noted journalist and photographer who, at the turn of the twentieth century, advocated for New York City’s disadvantaged tenement population. When Roosevelt served as a city police commissioner between 1895 and 1897, Riis proved to be a valuable source of information because he understood what reforms were needed in the police department. He was also intimately familiar with the harsh realities of the slums.

Sally James Farnham sculpted this bas-relief in bronze of President Roosevelt when he was in his second term. Farnham had the chance to sketch the president at an informal cabinet meeting and later made the work for placement in the Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement House, which Riis established in the 1890s. The original settlement house was sold in 1952, but the organization continues to operate in Long Island City.