About this artwork
In 1868 the City of Glasgow commissioned Thomas Annan to photograph the old town before improvement works could proceed. Annan did not find this an easy assignment due to the poor working conditions - light was almost entirely absent from the built-up and overcrowded closes of the slums. There, nevertheless, must have been humorous moments like the one recorded in this picture when the photographer was evidently struggling to get a clear view of the street while facing an overwhelming and curious crowd.
Updated before 2020
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artist:Thomas Annan (1829 - 1887) Scottish
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title:Saltmarket from Bridgegate
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date created:1868 - 1871
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materials:Albumen print
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measurements:29.70 x 38.60 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Purchased 1986
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accession number:PGP 185.19
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gallery:
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subject:
Thomas Annan
Thomas Annan
Having begun his career as a lithographic writer and engraver on a local newspaper in Fife, Thomas Annan set up a studio as a professional photographer in 1855. He founded his own photographic printing works in Hamilton in 1859 and by 1862 had begun to establish a reputation for photographing works...