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Lucien Aigner 
Completely disrobed in the small, sparkling clinic, the new residents of Rikers Island await their medical exam. 
[Guests at Rikers Island Prison] 
1937 (published) 
  
Gelatin silver print 
4 1/2 x 6 1/2 ins 
  
Courtesy of the Lucien Aigner Estate 
 
LL/43228 
  
Completely disrobed in the small, sparkling clinic, the new residents of Rikers Island await their medical exam. Their clothes are entrusted to the care of an "ancient" Negro (African American) who, dressed himself in the "uniform" of the detainees, fills the office of physician's assistant. He draws up an inventory of the effects that are entrusted to him then hoses them down with disinfectant.
 
The photo story "Guests at Rikers Island Prison" was published in 1937 in L'Illustré (Zofingen), Pesti Napló (Budapest), Picture Post (London), and Weekly Illustrated (London).
 
"àJust a few years ago, this island was the landfill for the metropolis of skyscrapers. Its giant mountains, of which we can make out their silhouettes, are made of nothing but filth and any man who would lay down on its banks for a nighttime nap would quickly fall prey to the monstrous rats who still share the ownership of this island with city of New York. But today, the city of New York has constructed a prison here that, as we learned over the course of our visit, holds many surprises for those who make the effort to get to know it. Rikers Island is the "luxury prison" of New York.
 
àAnd over the course of my tour, I will capture with my camera the private life of this curious prisonà
 
We pass by long, luminous corridors that resemble those of a clinic. Large windows allow great streams of light to enter and the stone floor, like a mirror, reflects the sun against a bright and smooth wallà
 
The alarm announces lunchtime. In silent groups the prisoners make their way toward the tables where fellow inmates, dressed in white, distribute the food. It is forbidden to chatter during meals. It is there that one begins to feel as if they were in prison; for the discipline of Rikers Island is strict despite the overall appearance of luxury and comfort. But the food given to prisoners is excellent. We tasted it there. It's appetizing, healthy and goodà
 
The Negro (Black) prisoners do not mix with the Whites. They eat separately but in the same room. The guards pass back and forth between the two camps during the meals.
 
With a discreet gesture, our guide shows us the surveillance tower where, behind unbreakable glass, a guard follows the eyes of the groups who eat in silence. The slightest suspicious gesture, the slightest noise and the thirty tear gas bombs that hang over the silent prisoners would be projected into the roomà
 
àBut why would the inhabitants of Rikers Island want to desert their "home"?à
 
à'It's not exactly a paradise,' Mr. McGee, the director of Rikers Island, tells us. 'We only try to make the lives of the inmates as humane as possible'à
 
à'Don't believe that our "angelic" methods exclude discipline. For those who don't obey, we reserve other, less gentle, means. We have, for example, some inmates who are genuine troublemakersàThose ones live in isolation and are deprived of the little pleasures that help the others pass the time more quickly. They can't take part in games or in exercise organized for those who are "well-behaved." We even go so far as to deprive someone of food for some 24 hours.'
 
Rikers Island is a model prison where only first-time offenders, drunks, blossoming pickpockets and the occasional burglar go. No tried and true criminals, no con artists, no murderers. The inmates are released at the end of three to four years. But after all of this, is it surprising that at the end of a few months they come back again!"

 
Lucien Aigner
 
(Selected text from the article translated by Amy Sweeney.) 
 
 
  
 
  
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