Thomas Annan

Thomas Annan (1829–1887) was a Scottish photographer, notable for being the first to record the poor housing conditions of the poor. After his initial apprenticeship to a lithographer in Cupar he moved to Glasgow and, after gaining the patent rights to the photogravure process, established himself in a photographic studio in Sauchiehall Street during 1857. First interested largely in architectural photography and then portraits, in 1866 Annan was commissioned by the Glasgow City Improvement Trust to photograph slum areas. It was this series of photographs, entitled the Old Closes and Streets of Glasgow, that ensured his prosperity.

Links

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Annan\
• http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/PP/pp_annan_thomas_photographer.htm