We have experienced a broadcast interruption at our transmitter site that services a large part of Central Southern Colorado. This includes the Salida region as well as the entire San Luis Valley—including Lake George, Coaldale, Del Norte and San Luis. We are actively working to assess the point of failure. Thank you for your understanding and support! Our live stream is also available online and on the RMPBS+ app.

Stream live and on-demand content now on our new app:
RMPBS+

Help tell more stories in 2026 - make a year-end gift!

Give Now
The Bigger Picture show's poster

This Photo of U.S. Immigration Isn’t What You Think

Images can tell powerful stories. One iconic photograph can symbolize an entire era. But if we expand the frame and examine the moment in which it was taken, a very different story can emerge. In this series of documentary shorts, Harvard University historian Dr. Vincent Brown meets with curators, photographers and other experts to challenge common assumptions about iconic American images.

This Photo of U.S. Immigration Isn’t What You Think

Season 1 Episode 5 | 11m 6s | CC

Alfred Stieglitz’s iconic photograph “The Steerage” is often used to illustrate the American immigrant experience. Through conversations with curators and historians, host Vincent Brown discovers that there is much more to the image than meets the eye and invites viewers to reconsider common assumptions about immigration to the U.S. in the early 20th century.

Related stories

History
Fort Garland celebrates the history — and recipe — of tortillas in southern Colorado
The cooking lesson at the museum came with a lesson about the history of tortillas.
 | Chelsea Casabona
History
In 'Moments That Made US,' History Colorado showcases 50 artifacts that shaped American history
Moments That Made US, History Colorado’s newest marquee exhibit, takes you on a journey through American history through the lens of found artifacts.
 | Sarah Shoen
Colorado Experience
Colorado Experience: Hidden History of Cheesman Park
Learn the history of a site that began as one of Denver’s first cemeteries and its transformation to a landmark park and safe space for the LGBTQ+ community.
 | Amanda Horvath

The Bigger Picture

Watch more episodes

See more
See more
Major funding for THE BIGGER PICTURE was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Additional funding was provided by the Anderson Family Charitable Fund, the Tamara L. Harris Foundation, the William Talbott Hillman Foundation, the Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding for the digital production of THE BIGGER PICTURE was provided by Chasing the Dream – a public media initiative from The WNET Group, reporting on poverty, opportunity, and justice in America, and supported by The JPB Foundation, The Peter G. Peterson and Joan Ganz Cooney Fund, and Sue and Edgar Wachenheim, III.