ECONDCLASS FTHEEMPIRE
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“He was an incredibly active and prominent figure during his day, and it seemed important to explore just how much he produced and how wide-ranging his interests were because so many of them intersect.”
Annan took portraits of machinery and nature shots of the progress of the Loch Katrine aqueduct. His studies of tenement life owe something to the paintings of the Dutch masters.
Maddox added: “The notion of progress was essential to his work, and I think that idea resonates today.”
Annan was born in Dairsie, in north-east Fife. He moved to Glasgow in 1849 and worked as a lithographer and engraver.
By 1855 he had opened up on his own, on the city’s Woodlands Road.
He went on to have studios in town and a printing works in Hamilton. His interest in architectural photography developed through portraits and maps.
The series of pictures taken in the slums were used by the Glasgow City Improvement Trust as part of their campaign to improve living conditions in the city.
Annan caught the city at a key moment, documenting the past and recording the early days of buildings which are still around today.
Maddox said: “Though a pioneer in his field, Annan has remained a relatively marginalised figure in the history of photography. We hope to prompt further scholarship and greater appreciation for this important 19th century practitioner.”