Life in Pittsburgh in 1950 Through the Lens of Elliot Erwitt

Photographer Elliott Erwitt began documenting Pittsburgh’s transformation into a modern metropolis in 1950. During the Great Depression, Erwitt shot hundreds of frames on behalf of Roy Stryker, the man who spearheaded the massive documentary photography projects carried out by the US government.

His photographs document community life against the backdrop of urban change, highlighting his quiet observations with a playful wit that has defined his style for the last five decades. Erwitt enlisted in the army after only 4 months and was sent to Germany, leaving his negatives in Stryker’s Pittsburgh Photographic Library.

Here are beautiful black and white photographs Erwitt took of Pittsburgh in 1950.

#1 Workman on wrecking project at the Point, 1950

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#2 Waiting for a streetcar in downtown Pittsburgh, 1950

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#3 Downtown hat shop window, September 1950

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#4 Gateway Center demolition area, 1950

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#5 Lalock Street, 1950

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#6 Student priests view city from top of Monongahela Incline, September 1950

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#7 Section around Tenth Street Bridge across Monongahela River, October 1950

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#8 Pittsburgh, 1950

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#9 Pittsburgh, 1950

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#10 Pittsburgh, 1950

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#11 Pittsburgh, 1950

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#12 Pittsburgh, 1950

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#13 Pittsburgh, 1950

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#14 Pittsburgh, 1950

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#15 Outside Presbyterian Church on Sixth Avenue, September 1950

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#16 Boundary Street, 1950

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#17 The crowd at Armistice Day Parade, November 1950

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#18 The crowd at Armistice Day Parade, November 1950

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#19 Schenely Park at night, 1950

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#20 Top row of Syria Mosque during concert, November 1950

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#21 Pittsburgh, 1950

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#22 Bus terminal, October 1950

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#23 Saline Street, September 1950

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