At the beginning of the 1930s, the United States was cast into the Great Depression. Over the next decade millions of Americans were plunged into poverty, and thanks to increasingly cheap and accessible cameras this horrendous socio-economic downturn was photographed for posterity. These pictures now provide snapshots of the lives of ordinary Americans during the unprecedented crisis, from the chaos of the Wall Street Crash to the escapism of The Wizard of Oz.

Click through this gallery to see the most amazing and sombre images from the Great Depression...