For some, The Great Depression is just another era they read about in history books. But for others, it was a defining chapter in their parents’ and grandparents’ lives. Those stories passed down at family dinners about making do with less, finding joy in simple things, and pulling together when times got tough suddenly come alive when you see these incredible photographs. These 33 images offer a raw, unfiltered look at how ordinary Americans faced extraordinary hardship with remarkable resilience. From simple farm life to city hustling, from families losing everything to communities rallying together, these snapshots remind us of a time when grit and determination weren’t just buzzwords, they were survival skills.
#1 Sugarcane Cutter And Waterboy In Field Near New Iberia, Louisiana, 1938
Image source: New York Public Library
#2 Mrs. Howard Shows The Beginning Of A Garden To A Neighbor, 1935
Image source: Dorothea Lange
#3 Joe Handley And Family In Their Home At Walker County, Alabama, 1937
Image source: Rothstein, Arthur
#4 A Cider And Apple Stand On The Lee Highway, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, 1935
Image source: Rothstein, Arthur
#5 Children Of Small Sheep Rancher. Converse, Wyoming, 1936
Image source: Rothstein, Arthur
#6 Penderlea Farms, North Karolina, 1935
Image source: New York Public Library
#7 Hot Dog Stand, West St. And North Moore, 1936
Image source: Abbott, Berenice
#8 Family Of A Striking Miner, Pennsylvania, 1935
Image source: Ben Shahn
#9 People In Town On Saturday Afternoon, Hammond, Louisiana, 1939
Image source: New York Public Library
#10 Edgar Allen And His Wife At The Rear Of House On Farm Near Milford, Iowa, 1936
Image source: Lee, Russell
#11 Unemployed Trappers, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, 1935
Image source: New York Public Library
#12 Young Oklahoma Mother, Age Eighteen, Penniless, Stranded In California, 1937
Image source: Dorothea Lange
#13 Young Family, Penniless, Hitchhiking On U.S. Highway 99, California, 1935
Image source: Lange, Dorothea
#14 Saturday Afternoon – San Augustine, Texas, 1939
Image source: Russell Lee
#15 Two Women Walking Along Street, In Natchez, Mississippi, 1935
Image source: Ben Shahn
#16 Children Lined Up At Enterance To Casino Cinema, 1935
Image source: Ben Shahn
#17 Dishing Out And Serving Food In Logging Camp Near Effie, Minnesota, 1937
Image source: Lee, Russell
#18 Sunday At Home, Penderlea Homesteads, North Carolina, 1937
Image source: Ben Shahn
#19 Waiting For The Movie To Open, Sunday Afternoon, Pharr, Texas, 1939
Image source: Lee, Russell
#20 Noonday Dinner, Family Style, At Restaurant In Muskogee, Oklahoma. The Price Of This Dinner Was Fifteen Cents, 1939
Image source: Lee, Russell
#21 N.y.a. Guides Distribute Literature To Sunday Visitors At Jersey Homesteads, Hightstown, New Jersey, 1936
Image source: New York Public Library
#22 Proprietor Of Small Store In Market Square, Waco, Texas, 1939
Image source: ebay.com
#23 Part Of Family On Relief. Memphis, Texas, 1937
Image source: Dorothea Lange
#24 Wolf Creek Farm Project, Georgia, 1935
Image source: Arthur Rothstein
#25 A Couple Of Kids Standing In Front Of A Poster, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1935
Image source: New York Public Library
#26 New York City. Post Office, Lower East Side, 1936
Image source: Lange, Dorothea
#27 Vermont Farm Leader, 1937
Image source: New York Public Library
#28 Living Room In Project Home, Arkansas, 1938
Image source: Lee Russell
#29 Poverty On The March, A Destitute Ozark Family, Arkansas, 1935
Image source: Ben Shahn
#30 Boris Drasin, President Of The Workers Aim Association, Inc., Is Shown Working As An Operator, 1936
Image source: New York Public Library
#31 Herald Square, 34th And Broadway, 1936
Image source: Abbott, Berenice
#32 A Black And White Photo Of A Man And Dogs In The Snow, Snow Carnival, New Hampshire (Lancaster), 1936
Image source: New York Public Library
#33 Activity Around Farmers’ Supply Store. Market Square, Waco, Texas, 1939
Image source: New York Public Library
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