Old Closes and Streets of Glasgow, 1868-77

Details

THOMAS ANNAN (1829-1887)
Old Closes and Streets of Glasgow, 1868-77
37 carbon prints [lacking three plates, nos.2, 19, 30 from the published set of 40]
each with printed title and number on mount
varying sizes from 10½ x 8¼in. (26.7 x 21cm.) to 14½ x 12in. (37 x 30.5cm.) or reverse (37)

Provenance

Private collection, Glasgow, acquired c.1960;
by descent to the present owner.

Literature

M. Frizot, The New History of Photography, Cologne, 1998, pp.348-49; M. Haworth-Booth (ed.), Exhibition catalogue, The Golden Age of British Photography, 1839-1900, London, Victoria & Albert Museum, 1984, pp.142-145.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium, which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

Glasgow's rapid industrialisation and population growth during the 19th century drew attention to its increasingly dilapidated slums; the Glasgow City Improvements Act of 1866 aimed to rebuild large portions of the impoverished city centre. Annan was commissioned by the Act's Trustees to record the area's harsh living conditions prior to demolition. The resulting series has become one of the first examples of social documentary photography, establishing a precendent for other reform-minded documentarians tackling issues of urban poverty in later years, such as Jacob Riis and Lewis Hine in the U.S., and Mass Observation in England.

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