Railroad barons, gargantuan East Coast mansions and elaborate galas are all synonymous with the Gilded Age – a period of US history after the Civil War that saw rapid industrial development and a widening gulf between the classes. TV shows like HBO's The Gilded Age have enraptured audiences with the splendour of the era. But there's more to the period than parties and palaces.

Click through this gallery to see extraordinary black-and-white photos that bring America's Gilded Age to life...