A photograph entitled 'Head of High Street', taken by Thomas Annan in 1868. The photograph shows a view up the High Street in Glasgow, towards the cathedral.

A photograph entitled 'Head of High Street', taken by Thomas Annan in 1868.

The photograph shows a view up the High Street in Glasgow, towards the cathedral. Ghostly figures are seen on the pavements due to people moving during the exposure time.

The High Street started at the east end of Glasgow which was where the majority of the city's slum housing was located. Overcrowding and poor sanitation resulted in high mortality rates caused by infection and disease.

In 1868 the City of Glasgow Improvement Trust approached Thomas Annan to take photographs of some of the slum areas of the city prior to demolition. The resulting images are some of the earliest examples of documentary photography.