Augustus Sherman had special access to his photography subjects at Ellis Island. The curators at The New York Public Library, which now houses the collection including Sherman's photos, believe that it is "likely that Sherman's elaborately costumed subjects were detainees, new immigrants held at Ellis Island for one reason or another."

According to the library, these immigrants were probably persuaded to put on "their best holiday finery or national dress" for their portraits.

Portrait of an Algerian man.

The portraits by Sherman show the many faces of the immigrants who arrived in America during this momentous time for immigration, when the new world beckoned to those in the old with greater opportunity and freedom.

Close to 40 percent of all current American citizens are able to trace at least one ancestor to Ellis Island, according to History.com.

Portrait of a Hindoo (Hindu) boy.

As the 1800s gave way to the early 1900s, America saw a massive migration of people from all walks of life and nationalities, many escaping economic and political instability or a lack of religious freedom.

The twin symbols of Ellis Island and Lady Liberty carrying a tablet with the inscription from Emma Lazurs' poem, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..." are forever entwined in the nation's history as a land of immigrants and the world's melting pot.

Portrait of a Danish man.

Looking into the eyes in the mostly somber portraits, one sees everything from trepidation, hope and confusion.

Portrait of three Dutch women.

Sherman's photos were published in National Geographic in 1907, but then for decades hung anonymously in the headquarters of the Federal Immigration Service in Manhattan. The photos were only digitized in 2013 by The New York Public Library and then published on their website.

Portrait of a Bavarian man.

Through the 1800s immigrants to the U.S. mostly came from Northern and Western Europe. At the turn of the century, an increasing number came from non-European countries, including Russia and Syria.

Portrait of Russian cossacks.

Portrait of three woman from Guadeloupe.

It was only with the passage of the Immigrant Quota Act of 1921 and National Origins Act of 1924 that immigration slowed at Ellis Island.

Portrait of an Italian woman.

Portrait of a gypsy family.

Portrait of two Dutch children.

Portrait of a Ruthenian (Ukrainian) woman.

Portrait of a Romanian shepherd.

Portrait of a woman in a 'costume' from the west coast of Norway.

Portrait of a German stowaway.

Portrait of a Slovak woman and her two children.

A group photo of newly-arrived immigrants in native costumes, some with turbans, some with fezzes.

Portrait of a girl from Rattvik, Sweden.

Portrait of a Greek palace guard.

Portrait of a 'Sami woman from Finland' (Laplander).

Portrait of an Italian woman.

Portrait of a Turkish man.

Commercial photographer Edwin Levick, who specialized in maritime subjects, took this view of an arriving boat docked in front of Ellis Island and others.

Most immigrants at the time came to America as new arrivals through New York Harbor.

Immigrants seated on long benches in the Great Hall of the Ellis Island Immigration Station.

A large dining hall, empty except for about ten members of the dining hall staff.

Each place settings consists of a worn porcelain-enameled plate, fork and knife.

Immigrants undergoing a medical examination.

The pens at Ellis Island, Registry Room (or Great Hall). These people have passed the first 'mental' inspection.

Immigrants with baggage lined up at tellers' windows.

A private interview between a young immigrant and an Ellis Island official. Two staff members are also present.

Immigrants being registered at one end of the Main Hall, U.S. immigration station.

People who have 'passed' and are waiting to be taken off Ellis Island.

A derby-topped gentleman observes the harbor from the observation roof on a wing of the Immigration Station, 1913.

The man may, in fact, be William Williams, Commissioner of Immigration at Ellis Island from 1902-5 and 1909-13, from whose estate these photographs came.

The New York skyline, showing the nearly-completed Woolworth Building tower, is at left.

The complete set of photos is available on Flickr.