#76 Pittsburgh slum dwelling, 1938

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Pittsburgh slum dwelling, 1938

This historical photograph, titled “#76 Pittsburgh slum dwelling, 1938,” offers a candid view into everyday life in a crowded urban residence during the late 1930s. Shot from an elevated angle, it captures a brick row of units with shared exterior walkways, simple doors and windows, and the worn geometry of porches and posts.

Children lean from open windows while laundry hangs over railings, turning the building’s façade into a lived-in patchwork of cloth, shadows, and small domestic details. A few chairs sit along the balcony, and the narrow corridor feels both communal and confined, emphasizing how much of home life spilled outward into the public-facing space.

For readers interested in Pittsburgh history and Great Depression–era housing, this image preserves the textures of working-class living conditions in 1938 without embellishment. It’s a striking documentary-style scene that invites a closer look at architecture, family life, and the social realities behind the term “slum dwelling.”