Stephen Wilkes is an American photographer known foremost for his series of abandoned structures such as at Ellis Island

Ellis Island

Ellis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...

 and the former Bethlehem Steel

Bethlehem Steel

The Bethlehem Steel Corporation , based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was once the second-largest steel producer in the United States, after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based U.S. Steel. After a decline in the U.S...

 factory which he has captured as a lost world caught in a sort of visual amber. Wilkes photo essay on Ellis Island "Ellis Island Ghosts" helped to raise six million dollars from the United States Congress

United States Congress

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

 for the preservation of the structures on the south side of the island including the former hospital for infectious diseases . His fine art and photo-journalism have been featured in such publications as Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair (magazine)

Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...

, Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...

 and The New York Times Magazine

The New York Times Magazine

The New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...

.

External links

• Ellis Island Ghosts http://www.ellisislandghosts.com/
• Stephen Wilkes Photography http://www.stephenwilkes.com/
• Article on an exhibition of Wilkes work at the Michener Art Museum http://articles.philly.com/2010-08-08/entertainment/24971425_1_immigrant-gateway-ellis-island-isolation-wards