The Thomas Annan Collection
Thomas Annan is probably best known for his photographic record of the central section of the city prior to its demolition. It is widely recognized as a classic of nineteenth-century documentary photography. However, Annan’s achievement as a photographer of paintings, portraits, and landscapes is less widely known...
About Thomas Annan
Thomas Annan (1829 -1887) was the son of a Fife farmer and flax spinner and lived for most of his life in Glasgow. After training and working as a copperplate engraver, he set up a photographic studio in Sauchiehall Street in 1857. Annan concentrated initially on architectural photography but then turned his attention to portraits.
In 1866 Annan was commissioned by Glasgow City Improvement Trust to photograph slum areas in the old part of the city before urban renewal took place. This resulted in the landmark series of photographs, Old Closes and Streets of Glasgow, taken between 1868 and 1871. Annan’s photographic record of this central section of the city prior to its demolition is widely recognized as a classic of nineteenth-century documentary photography.
Views of the Line of Loch Katrine Water Works
In the Views of the Line of Loch Katrine Water Works, 1859, Annan's photographs document the construction of a 35 mile aqueduct to supply the city of Glasgow with fresh water from Loch Katrine in the Trossachs. The later Photographic Views of Loch Katrine show the completed work in 1877.
Painted Windows of Glasgow Cathedral
In 1867, Annan published a volume of 43 photographs entitled Painted Windows of Glasgow Cathedral. This work is not only an important example of Annan’s use of Joseph Swan’s permanent carbon process photographs but also as a record of the windows, which were removed in the 20th century.
Old Closes and Streets of Glasgow
The first edition of Old Closes and Streets contained 31 albumen prints and was published in a very limited edition in 1871. The albumen prints were prone to fading so, in 1878, Annan reprinted the photographs using the carbon process (having acquired the rights to this process in 1866) which were cheaper to produce and more resilient. A further edition was published in 1900 by Thomas Annan's son, James Craig. This later volume contained 50 photogravure plates.
Old Country Houses of the Old Glasgow Gentry
Annan also photographed the large houses and mansions surrounding Glasgow in The Old Country Houses of the old Glasgow gentry (1870) which were disappearing or being repurposed as the city expansion continued.
Memorials of the Old College of Glasgow
He undertook several other works of important buildings in the city including Memorials of the Old College of Glasgow. This records views of the buildings and professors of the University of Glasgow before its relocation to Gilmorehill.
Finding aids
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Further reading
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Image Galleries
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More about this Collection
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