A Walk in Thomas Annan’s Glasgow: Documentary Photography, Class and Urban Space

Abstract

This text explores the photographic documentary work on the city of Glasgow by Thomas Annan in the mid- to late nineteenth century. I focus on Annan’s most well-known project— The Closes and Streets of Old Glasgow, 1868-1871, which remains the most significant urban focus in his work. I will begin by briefly outlining Annan’s position in the history of photography and the relation of his photographic work to the city of Glasgow. Subsequently, I will engage directly with the volume of interest and outline the character of the photographs. Finally, I will provide an analysis of Annan’s photographic work and the manner in which he contributed to a classed construction of the city of Glasgow through documentary photography. In particular, I will explore the images themselves through the lens of critical visual theory and relate them to the urban space of Glasgow itself.