Shanty Town Collection (#6)

Huts and houses are seen on the hills of Nueva Esperanza ( New Hope ) shanty town on the outskirts of Lima, Peru April 8 2018. Picture taken April 8, 2018. REUTERS/Mariana Bazo

The Wider Image: Venezuelan crisis spawns boom in gambling
Competitors take part in a horserace, with a slum or " barrio" in the background at La Rinconada Hippodrome, Caracas, Venezuela, October 8, 2017

A view of a slum is seen along a seashore in Mumbai, India, November 28, 2019. Picture taken November 28, 2019. REUTERS/Prashant Waydande

Aerial view of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Brazil, Bahia, Salvador, locals playing football on the beach in a favela (slum community) in the Brazilian city of Salvador

View of Rocinha favela (slum) (shanty town), Corcovado mountain and the statue of Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, South America

Bluegate Fields slums, London in the 19th century. (print)
7419948 Bluegate Fields slums, London in the 19th century. (print) by Dore, Gustave (1832-83) (after); (add.info.: Bluegate Fields, Shadwell, one of the worst slums in London in the 19th century)

A ladys bedroom
Dan Edwards

Veronica At the Door
Dan Edwards

Squatter camp before season opens, Malin, Klamath County, Oregon, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Squatter camp before season opens. Malin, Klamath County, Oregon

Families camped on flat before season opens waiting... near Merrill, Klamath County, Oregon, 1939
Families camped on flat before season opens waiting for the Farm Security Administration (FSA) mobile unit to open. No sanitation, no water. Near Merrill, Klamath County, Oregon

Squatter camp in potato town, Malin, Klamath County, Oregon, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Squatter camp in potato town. Malin, Klamath County, Oregon

Families camped on flat before season opens... near Merrill, Klamath County, Oregon, 1939 Creator: Dorothea Lange
Families camped on flat before season opens, waiting for the Farm Security Administration (FSA) mobile unit to open. No sanitation, no water. Near Merrill, Klamath County, Oregon

Squatter camp entering potato town, Malin, Klamath County, Oregon, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Squatter camp entering potato town. Malin, Klamath County, Oregon

Camp of migrant potato pickers seen from potato shed... Tulelake, Siskiyou County, California
Camp of migrant potato pickers seen from the packing shed. Tulelake, Siskiyou County, California

House in camp of carrot pullers, near Holtville, Imperial Valley, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
House in camp of carrot pullers. Near Holtville. Imperial Valley, California

Migrants tents... along the right of way of the Southern Pacific, Near Fresno, California, 1939
Migrants tents are a common sight along the right of way of the Southern Pacific. Near Fresno, California. [Sign: Railroad Crossing ]

Farm-reared youth with no opportunity on the farm... Kern County, Calififornia, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Farm-reared youth with no opportunity on the farm, now travelling single among the migrants. Kern County, Calififornia

Camped on the flat, near Holtville, Imperial County, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Camped on the flat. Family with five children, left their home in Texas in September 1938. They picked their way across the country in Texas and Arizona cotton

Slum terraces, by Gustave Dore
7261227 Slum terraces, by Gustave Dore by Dore, Gustave (1832-83) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Over London - By Rail)

A Slum in London, 1875 (litho)
7182863 A Slum in London, 1875 (litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: A Slum in London, 1875)

Le Vocabulaire Illustre: Taudis; Hovel; Schmutzige Loch (engraving)
7197691 Le Vocabulaire Illustre: Taudis; Hovel; Schmutzige Loch (engraving) by European School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Taudis; Hovel; Schmutzige Loch)

Sunshine in Slumland (colour litho)
7181661 Sunshine in Slumland (colour litho) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Sunshine in Slumland)

A child begging for money to buy bread (chromolitho)
7153598 A child begging for money to buy bread (chromolitho) by Dickes, William (fl.1843-81); Private Collection; (add.info)

London Cries, "Buy a rope of onions, buy a rope!"(colour litho)
7181667 London Cries, " Buy a rope of onions, buy a rope!" (colour litho) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: London Cries, " Buy a rope of onions)

Rue Champlain, a group of huts, 1858-78 (b / w photo)
XIR182904 Rue Champlain, a group of huts, 1858-78 (b/w photo) by Marville, Charles (1816-79); Musee de la Ville de Paris, Musee Carnavalet, Paris

Expulsion of the poor from a shanty town on the edge of the military zone of Gentilly (colour litho)
2818650 Expulsion of the poor from a shanty town on the edge of the military zone of Gentilly (colour litho) by French School

Sketches in Shanty Town, New York (engraving)
1626813 Sketches in Shanty Town, New York (engraving) by Wright, Henry Charles Seppings (1850-1937); Private Collection; (add.info.: Sketches in Shanty Town, New York)

The British Factory on Hog Lane, Canton, 1838 (w / c on paper)
BAL106920 The British Factory on Hog Lane, Canton, 1838 (w/c on paper) by Varnham, Werner (fl. 1838); 190x280 cm; Private Collection; out of copyright

Village by a river, c. 1858 (sepia photo)
NAM280850 Village by a river, c.1858 (sepia photo) by English Photographer, (19th century); National Army Museum, London; (add.info)

Shacks, 1899. Creator: Louis Michel Eilshemius
Shacks, 1899

I'm Alone
Gunarto Song

Dirrell Moss and his family. Mr Moss is a house painter by trade and lives in the Jonestown district of Kingston. With no regular work in Jamaica for Dirrel he has decided to emigrate with his family

The Dust-Heaps, Somers Town, in 1836, (c1876). Creator: Unknown
The Dust-Heaps, Somers Town, in 1836, (c1876). Somers Town became a dense shanty town, surrounded on several sides by brickfields and dust heaps

Shack made of barrels and tar paper, St Louis, Missouri, USA, Great Depression, 1931. One of a mile-long row of such makeshift huts on the shore of the Mississippi

A Hooverville on waterfront of Seattle, Washington, USA, Great Depression, March 1933. Grim collections of shacks on vacant lots were cruelly called Hoovervilles after Herbert Hoover

Dramatic mid-winter sky and rooftops in a shanty town in Shenyang, NE China, 1989
Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China - 12 December 1999; no people in view; Shenyang is not the sort of place in China that tourists would knowingly want to - or get to - visit

Astonishing mid-winter sky and rooftops in a shanty town in Shenyang, NE China, 1999
Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China - 12 December 1999; no people in view; Shenyang is not the sort of place in China that tourists would knowingly want to - or get to - visit

Riverside housing at Conoor in Tamil Nadu, India

IOWA: SHANTY TOWN, 1936. Part of a shanty town in Spencer, Iowa. Photograph by Russell Lee, December 1936

Toddington Station under construction, and navvy camp, 1904
An atmospheric view of Toddington Station under construction in Gloucestershire in 1904, showing the shanty town-like navvy camp

Portrait of a Brazilian lady, originally from the north east of Brazil, who is in her eighties. The shot was taken in the favela Paraisopolis in Sao Paulo, Brazil

An old woman counts out her age on her fingers. She is outside her home in the favela Paraisopolis in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Teenage boys drum and play the tambourine in their neighborhood in Sao Paulo

Canton, 1903. Artist: Mortimer L Menpes
Canton, 1903. From World Pictures, by Mortimer Menpes. Text by Dorothy Menpes. [A. & C. Black, London, 1903]

China - Poo-Cha Bridge - Bridge over river, shanty-town buildings. Part of Box 167 Boswell collection - Tour in China. Date: circa 1900

Twilight view of the Favela Santa Marta with Corcovado and the Christ statue behind, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, South America

For sale as Licensed Images

Choose your image, Select your licence and Download the media

Shanty towns, also known as slums or favelas, are a stark reminder of the inequality and poverty that persist in many parts of the world. From Nigeria's Shanty town to Kigali's city slums in Rwanda, these communities are often characterized by overcrowded living conditions and limited access to basic amenities. In Brazil's Bahia, Salvador stands a favela at the heart of the bustling city. Here, armed forces members patrol relentlessly against drug dealers who have taken hold of Vila Kennedy. The struggle for safety and security is an ongoing battle. However, amidst the hardships faced by shantytown residents, there are moments that bring hope and unity. In Peru, a soccer field acts as a unifying force within these marginalized communities. It serves as a symbol of resilience and camaraderie despite their challenging circumstances. Yet tragedy can strike at any moment in these vulnerable settlements. Aerial views capture mudslides engulfing Carapita neighborhood in Caracas or fires raging through Pinheirinho slum in Brazil where residents desperately fight eviction. Nevertheless, life goes on even amidst adversity. Women walk along hillsides in Nueva Esperanza on Lima's outskirts while houses dotting the landscape serve as reminders of both resilience and struggle. In Mumbai's slum areas too, residents salvage what little they can from gutted hutments after devastating fires tear through their homes. These incidents highlight not only their vulnerability but also their determination to rebuild their lives time and time again. From Villa Maria del Triunfo district's foggy day view of Nueva Union shantytown to Cairo's now-demolished Maspero Triangle slum buildings; each image tells its own story - one filled with hardship but also strength and perseverance. Shanty towns may be synonymous with poverty-stricken neighborhoods lacking essential resources; however they are also home to resilient individuals who strive for better lives.