Ellis Island Illuminated

• Photographer
  Debra Tomaszewski, United States
• Website
  http://DebraTomaszewski.com

I photographed Ellis Island in 1988-1989 during the restoration of the Great Hall as it was transformed into a historical museum. Millions of immigrants passed through the island on the way to a better life.
Contracted by the National Park Service as one of the many photographers assigned to the awesome task of documenting the restoration, I was also allowed to photograph the south side of Ellis Island. During this time I shot the administration buildings, the quarantine wards, the hospital, and the superintendent's house, which now lay in ruins, too expensive to restore.
These images are a result of my ramblings through hundreds of rooms on 27 acres of the Island. What struck me most was that the beauty still remained, in spite of the neglect and decay. Ivy thrived as it crept through broken windows, light filtered in and illuminated the passing of time, memories and moments from long ago still embodied this old treasure.

Award winning artist Debra Tomaszewski is a photographer and artist living in northern California. She holds a Master?s Degree in Fine Arts Photography and has worked as an art educator teaching people of all ages. Her photography has been exhibited internationally and on the internet.