A photograph entitled 'Close, No. 83 High Street', taken by Thomas Annan in 1868. The photograph shows a dark, narrow close, behind No. 83 High Street in Glasgow.

A photograph entitled 'Close, No. 83 High Street', taken by Thomas Annan in 1868.

The photograph shows a dark, narrow close behind No. 83 High Street in Glasgow.

The High Street started at the east end of Glasgow 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.