Pittsburgh, like the rest of the nation, plunged into a deep depression, propelled in part by the Stock Market Crash on October 29, 1929. The global depression would last for an agonizing 10 years, finally coming to a halt in 1939, the same year Hitler would invade Poland, igniting World War II. Here are 11 rare photos taken in Pittsburgh during the Great Depression.
- The summer before the stock market crash, which helped accelerate the Great Depression, a young boy sits in his mother’s arms in a Pittsburgh neighborhood.
Flickr/Beverly Vealach
- Greed, perhaps, propelled Bernard Dickey back in 1932 to rob a local man. His mug shots appear below.
Flickr/angus mcdlarmid
- This shot captured by Walter Evans shows some of the typical housing in Pittsburgh in 1935.
Photogrammar/Walker Evans
- Deep in the throes of the Great Depression, Pittsburgh suffered another tragedy. On St. Patrick’s Day 1936, the city flooded due to melted snow and a consistent rainfall. The water rose to 46 feet, causing the deaths of 150 people in the Pittsburgh area.
Wikimedia Commons/upheld
- Today Pittsburgh’s waterfront is dotted with restaurants, shops, businesses, and entertainment venues. Back in 1938, the rivers were crowded with boats, all attempting to reach their destination in a timely manner.
Photogrammar/Arthur Rothstein
- Pittsburghers struggled to survive the Great Depression as is evidenced in this photograph by Arthur Rothstein titled “The Slums of Pittsburgh.”
Photogrammar/Arthur Rothstein
- Children play on window ledges in another shot of the “Slums of Pittsburgh” by Arthur Rothstein.
Photogrammar/Arthur Rothstein
- Despite the passage of time, cars still park along the Allegheny River as they did in this 1938 photo.
Photogrammar/Arthur Rothstein
- Arthur Rothstein captured this photo of a non-active steel mill in Pittsburgh in 1938.
Photogrammar/Arthur Rothstein
- Billboards sit in the foreground of a Pittsburgh neighborhood along the Boulevard of the Allies and the Monongahela River.
Photogrammer/Arthur Rothstein
- Another Arthur Rothstein photograph features the neighborhood along the Boulevard of the Allies and the Monongahela River.
Photogrammer/Arthur Rothstein
Discover Pittsburgh’s rich history through photographs. These 10 rare photos from Pittsburgh during the Great Depression are just the start. Click here to check out the rare photos from Pittsburgh during World War II.
Flickr/Beverly Vealach
Flickr/angus mcdlarmid
Photogrammar/Walker Evans
Wikimedia Commons/upheld
Photogrammar/Arthur Rothstein
Photogrammer/Arthur Rothstein
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