Thomas Annan

Close, no. 37, High Street

Maker

Thomas Annan (Scottish, 1829-1887)

Title

Close, no. 37, High Street
Old Glasgow

Year

1877

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

pigment, glass

Dimensions

28.6 x 22.9 cm (11 1/4 x 9 inches) (plate)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Printed on original mount across bottom:15. Close, No. 37 High Street

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Walter H. Kimball Fund

Object Number

75.064

Type

Exhibition History

Early Exposures
19th-Century Photography from the Collection
Mar 13, 2015 – Jul 19, 2015

Label copy

The dark conditions of this close, or narrow alleyway closed at one end, required the most light-sensitive method possible-the wet collodion process. Carrying chemicals with him, Thomas Annan coated the glass negative with photo-sensitive materials on site, capturing the exposure while the plate was still wet and developing it immediately after.

Photography played an important role in the late-19th-century urban renewal plans of many European cities, where the wide-scale demolition of existing structures took place to accommodate new boulevards and buildings. Annan took the photograph as part of a project documenting the slums of Glasgow before their demolition by the Glasgow City Improvement Trust.

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Thomas Annan (Scottish, 1829-1887)
Close, no. 37, High Street; Old Glasgow, 1877
Carbon print from glass negative
28.6 x 22.9 cm (11 1/4 x 9 inches) (plate)
Walter H. Kimball Fund 75.064

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