October 29 marks the 85th anniversary of Wall Street’s most infamous day, Black Tuesday. While the crash alone did not cause the Great Depression, the sharp drop in stock prices symbolized the end of the Roaring Twenties and the beginning of a decade of hardship. As prices plummeted, many lost their life savings. Many more lost faith in American financial institutions. The photographs below reflect the chaos and sorrow that emanated from the stock market crash and run on the banks. These photos are from the New York Times Paris Bureau, and now part of the holdings in the Still Picture department at NARA.
Wall Street in panic due to heavy trading. October, 1929. Local Identifier: 306-NT-157.062CUnemployed men queued outside a depression kitchen opened in Chicago by Al Capone. Feb. 1931. Local Identifier: 306-NT-165.319CPolice stand guard at the entrance to the World Exchange Bank at 174 Second Avenue, New York City. It had been closed down today due to a run on it. March 20, 1931. Local Identifier: 306-NT-443-J-1Crowd gathers in front of the doors of the Bank of the United States on Freeman Street, New York. April, 1931. Local Identifier: 306-NT-166.153CGroups of depositors in front of the closed American Union Bank, New York City. April 26, 1932. Local Identifier: 306-NT-677-B-177.476CCrowds gather as hundreds of thousands of dollars in “Scrip Money” are burned. The notes were issued after the bank had closed. April, 1933. Local Identifier: 306-NT-177.567C
