Most of us have only ever caught a glimpse into life during the Great Depression through black-and-white photos.
Recently, the Library of Congress released a large series of photos from the era that showcase the photographs in amazing, vivid colors.
The series breathed a new life into these grainy stills from the past — struggling families hit hard by the crisis, scenes from government labor camps, people lining up for food, and kids having fun at state fairs are all depicted.
Taken roughly between 1939 and 1942 by renowned photographers — including Russell Lee and Jack Delano — these pictures were part of an initiative by the Farm Security Administration, and the Office of War Information, to document ordinary life in America throughout the decade.
It was undoubtedly one of the country's darkest periods, but many were strong and resilient, and successfully pulled through this stage of calamity in history.
Let us know if you love seeing all reimagined color photos from different time periods, like these images of hardworking women during WWII.
Scroll further to see these striking Depression-era photos in full color, and let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
[H/T: Daily Mail]
Day laborers picking cotton in a field near Clarksdale, MS, in late 1939.
Trucks lined up outside of a starch factory in Caribou, Aroostook County, ME, in late 1940.
Some of these trucks had been waiting for a full day for the potatoes at the factory to be graded and weighed.
Children gathering potatoes on a large farm in the vicinity of Caribou, Aroostook County, ME, in October 1940.
Faro and Doris Caudill, homesteaders, in Pie Town, NM, in late 1940.
Harvesting new corn from the field of Jim Norris, in Pie Town, NM, in late 1940.
Jim Norris, a homesteader, in Pie Town, NM, in late 1940.
Hauling crates of peaches from the orchard to the shipping shed, in Delta County, CO, in late 1940.
The Caudill family eating dinner in their dugout in Pie Town, NM, in October 1940.
Jack Whinery, a homesteader, and his family, in Pie Town, NM, in October 1940.
Grand Grocery Company in Lincoln, NE, in 1942.
Distributing surplus commodities to a crowd in St. Johns, AZ, in late 1940.
Kids gathering at the Vermont State Fair in Rutland, VT, in late 1941.
"Backstage" at the "girlie" show at the Vermont State Fair in Rutland, VT, in late 1941.
A horse-and-cart team pulling a car out of the mud on a roadside near Pie Town, NM, in late 1940.
Shacks belonging to migratory workers, in Belle Glade, FL, in 1941.
Two men tying a ribbon on a calf's tail, in Pie Town, NM, in late 1940.
This was one of the main attractions at the rodeo in Pie Town.
Mrs. Bill Stagg with a handmade quilt showcasing emblems from every state, in Pie Town, NM, in October 1940.
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