Ghosts Pasted to the Wall, Ellis Island, New Jersey

At first I assumed the images were murals, but that description is incorrect. As I moved through the Contagious Disease Hospital, I observed translucent pictures embedded in the flaking paint, shattered windows, and corroded bedframes. These pictures gave me an impression of early immigrants’ experiences before I learned the exact purpose of the display.

The pictures belong to a site‐specific installation called Unframed – Ellis Island created by French street artist JR. I had not known his work before. The work was mounted in August 2014 together with Save Ellis Island and the National Park Service. It includes 26 life‐size wheat‐paste prints derived from original black‐and‐white archival photos taken at the hospital more than one hundred years ago.

JR adhered the thin prints straight onto compromised surfaces like cracked plaster, rusted lockers, and shattered glass. This method lets the building’s physical decay appear through the images. Thus the structure’s deterioration becomes part of the photographs instead of merely serving as a backdrop.

The Staircase Ascendants, Contagious Disease Hospital, Ellis Island · Saturday 16 May 2026
FujiFilm X-T5 · ISO 125 · 7.0 sec
XF27mmF2.8 R WR · 27 mm · f/11

One picture is affixed to a large window pane. It depicts a group of immigrant children with cloth around their heads looking at the camera. They were being treated for favus, a fungal scalp disease that spread in the steerage areas of ships. Through the glass cracks I could see a tree and wild plants outside. The natural growth persisted despite the window’s historical context.

Another work is placed in a stairwell. It shows doctors and inspectors in early‐20th‐century suits and bowler hats ascending the stairs. JR positioned the figures to match the real angle of the stone steps and the wooden handrail. That positioning links the image directly to the building’s architecture.

The Waiting Queue,Contagious Disease Hospital, Ellis Island · Saturday 16 May 2026
FujiFilm X-T5 · ISO 125 · 1/4 sec
XF27mmF2.8 R WR · 27 mm · f/3.2

A picture on a corridor wall, seen through a window frame, struck me unexpectedly. It portrays a line of immigrants at eye level, featuring a man in traditional attire, women with headscarves and bags, and men wearing flat caps. They seem to be waiting for medical examinations or processing. As an immigrant from the Anglo Caribbean, viewing this picture caused me to think about the challenges faced by people arriving from cultures far different from the United States. I wondered where they eventually settled and whether they ever regretted their decision to migrate.

These works are meant to be temporary. They were not created for permanent museum preservation. Rather, they are intended to age and fade together with the building until they finally vanish. The paper will decay at the same pace as the plaster. This method recognizes that the building is already undergoing permanent decline.