Thomas Annan’s Photographs of ‘The Old Closes and Streets of Glasgow’ 1868
In the centuries following the Acts of Union in 1707, Glasgow underwent profound transformations. Daniel Defoe, the famed English writer, recalled his visit to Glasgow around the time of the Union, describing it as “the dear, green place,” a city of impressive beauty and order:
“…a large stately and well-built city, standing on a plain in a manner four-square, and the five principal streets are the fairest for breadth, and the finest built I have ever seen in one city together. The houses are all of stone, and generally uniform in height as well as in front. The lower stories (of those near the Cross) for the most part, stand on vast square Doric columns with arches which open into shops, adding to the strength as well as beauty of the building. In a word, ’tis one of the cleanest, most beautiful and best built cities in Great Britain.”
However, Defoe’s account was not without ulterior motives. Sent as a spy by his English paymasters in 1706, Defoe’s mission was to garner support for the Union among the Scottish populace, promising one thing to the Scots while offering the opposite to the English. Defoe’s actions helped pave the way for the Acts of Union, which in turn allowed the Scottish merchant class to capitalise on English trade opportunities.
Glasgow, in particular, saw a boom, with one in three workers identifying as “businessmen.” The city’s economy thrived on the back of the Virginia tobacco trade, but when the American Revolution broke out, many Glasgow entrepreneurs, including the once-prominent John Glassford, faced bankruptcy. Those who could, shifted their investments into textiles, mining, or ironworks, seizing on the opportunities presented by the cotton and sugar plantations in the West Indies—a shift that was only possible because of the Union.
The Rise and Fall of Glasgow’s City Centre
As Glasgow’s economy evolved, so too did its landscape. The city centre, once home to its wealthiest residents, became increasingly dominated by industry and trade. The grand tenements and townhouses, which had once exemplified the city’s beauty, fell into disrepair, transforming into overcrowded slums for the influx of workers drawn by Glasgow’s burgeoning industries. The Gorbals, a once-promising estate on the city’s south side, epitomised this decline, as it devolved from a desirable residential area into a notorious industrial slum.
By the 19th century, Glasgow’s slums had become a significant problem, exacerbated by the rapid industrialisation of the city. They were among the worst in Europe, and their dire conditions prompted a series of public health reforms, including the City Improvement Act of 1866, which allowed for the demolition of the most overcrowded and unsanitary areas.
Thomas Annan: Documenting Glasgow’s Decline
It was against this backdrop that Thomas Annan, a photographer with a deep interest in social issues, was commissioned in 1868 to document the slums slated for demolition. Annan, who had begun his career as a commercial photographer, saw photography as a powerful tool for social commentary. His work, published as The Old Closes and Streets of Glasgow, stands in stark contrast to Defoe’s earlier description of the city.
Annan’s photographs are a haunting visual record of the harsh realities of life in Glasgow’s slums. Where Defoe had seen “a large stately and well-built city,” Annan captured images of crumbling tenements, narrow, winding streets, and the dark, oppressive closes where the city’s poorest residents lived in squalor. His images, devoid of any romanticism, instead offer a raw and unfiltered view of the urban decay that had overtaken Glasgow’s once-proud city centre.
Through his work, Annan not only documented the physical structures of the slums but also highlighted the human suffering caused by the industrial age. His photographs serve as a stark reminder of the inequalities and deprivations that accompanied Glasgow’s transformation from a “dear, green place” into a city marred by poverty and neglect.
The Legacy of Annan’s Work
Today, Thomas Annan’s The Old Closes and Streets of Glasgow is recognised as a crucial historical document, preserving the memory of a world that has long since vanished. His photographs provide an invaluable record of the social and economic changes that reshaped Glasgow in the 18th and 19th centuries. They challenge us to reflect on the cost of progress and the human toll of industrialisation.
In the end, Annan’s work stands as a powerful counterpoint to Defoe’s earlier portrayal of Glasgow, offering a sobering reminder that behind the city’s growth and prosperity lay a darker, more complex story. As a footnote to this tale, when Defoe returned to Glasgow in the late 1720s, he was met not with admiration for his earlier descriptions but with mobs denouncing his treachery and dishonesty—a fitting metaphor for the disillusionment that often follows in the wake of broken promises and unrealised dreams.
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