New York City−A tramp's ablutions−An early morning scene in Madison Square.

From 1873 to 1878, the U.S. experienced its first nationwide economic depression of the industrial era. It affected Americans across the country. Families watched their children go hungry. Nationally, millions were out of work. During the winter of 1874, unemployment in New York City was almost 25%. During this time, the word "tramps" emerged to describe the unemployed men who traveled the country looking for work. This illustration from a weekly national newspaper shows such men bathing (or performing their "morning ablutions") in a New York City park.

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