Unit 4 - Chapter 9: Biography
Lillian Wald
1867—1940
A volunteer at the Henry Street
settlement teaches knitting to a
class of young girls, 1910.
Lillian D. Wald was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her family moved to Rochester, New York when she was a young girl. She did very well in school. Wald graduated from high school when she was only 15 years old.
After becoming a nurse in 1891, Wald volunteered to provide immigrants in New York’s tenements with nursing care.
In 1895, Lillian Wald opened the Henry Street Settlement. She spent the rest of her life caring for people in immigrant neighborhoods. She also organized school health programs and child labor laws. Much of her work still lives on today.
Take a Closer Look
Henry Street Settlement
Lillian Wald founded the Henry Street Settlement to help immigrants in New York. It is still open today. Learn more about the history of the Henry Street Settlement.
New York’s Immigrants
During the late 1800s, new innovations in travel allowed many immigrants from all over the world to travel to New York. Find out where many of New York’s immigrants came from.
Tenement Virtual Tour
Many immigrants living in New York lived in tenements which were in very poor condition. Take a virtual tour of a tenement apartment.
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