Thomas Annan
Encyclopedia
Thomas Annan was a Scottish photographer, notable for being the first to record the poor housing conditions of the poor. Born in Dairsie
, Fife
he was one of seven children of John Annan, a flax spinner.
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.
His other notable works include the building of the Loch Katrine Waterworks, portraits of David Livingstone
and Horatio McCulloch
, and a series of photographs of the Old Country Houses of the Old Glasgow Gentry.
He was the father of James Craig Annan
who continued in his father's profession, receiving a Royal Warrant as 'Photographers and Photographic Engravers to Her Majesty in Glasgow'.
The family business survives to the present day in the form of the Annan Fine Art Gallery, located on Woodlands Road in the West End of Glasgow.
Dairsie
Dairsie, or Osnaburgh, is a village in north-east Fife, Scotland. It is south-southwest of Leuchars Junction, and east-northeast of Cupar on the A91 Stirling to St Andrews road. The village grew out of two smaller settlements , and developed principally around the industry of weaving...
, Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
he was one of seven children of John Annan, a flax spinner.
After his initial apprenticeship to a lithographer in Cupar
Cupar
Cupar is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland. The town is situated between Dundee and the New Town of Glenrothes.According to a recent population estimate , Cupar had a population around 8,980 making the town the ninth largest settlement in Fife.-History:The town is believed to have...
he moved to Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and, after gaining the patent rights to the photogravure process, established himself in a photographic studio in Sauchiehall Street
Sauchiehall Street
Sauchiehall Street is one of the main shopping/business streets in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland. Along with Buchanan Street and Argyle Street, it forms the main shopping area of Glasgow, containing the majority of Glasgow's high street and chain stores.Although commonly associated with the...
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.
His other notable works include the building of the Loch Katrine Waterworks, portraits of David Livingstone
David Livingstone
David Livingstone was a Scottish Congregationalist pioneer medical missionary with the London Missionary Society and an explorer in Africa. His meeting with H. M. Stanley gave rise to the popular quotation, "Dr...
and Horatio McCulloch
Horatio McCulloch
Horatio McCulloch , sometimes written M'Culloch, was a Scottish landscape painter.-Life:...
, and a series of photographs of the Old Country Houses of the Old Glasgow Gentry.
He was the father of James Craig Annan
James Craig Annan
James Craig Annan was a pioneering Scottish-born photographer and Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society.The second son of photographer Thomas Annan, James Craig Annan was born at Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, on the 8 March 1864...
who continued in his father's profession, receiving a Royal Warrant as 'Photographers and Photographic Engravers to Her Majesty in Glasgow'.
The family business survives to the present day in the form of the Annan Fine Art Gallery, located on Woodlands Road in the West End of Glasgow.