Bayard Street Tenement: Temporary Housing
Tenement landlords and residents found alternative ways of earning money. They might take on piecework or do laundry. In cases like this, tenement space rented out for temporary housing. For five cents, a man could rent a spot for the night. It wasn’t a luxurious space, crowded, and not particularly clean.
In this image, belongings are hung haphazardly on the wall. Boots and socks are stowed next to mattresses on the floor. The stove is covered with more belongings, and every space is taken up with people or possessions. There is even a lofted mattress to maximize the amount of rentable space. The people who slept there were thrown into unfamiliar space with other people, who knew what might happen to their stuff or start a fight just for the fun of it.
