A photograph entitled 'Close, No. 65 High Street', taken by Thomas Annan in 1868. The photograph shows a dark, narrow close, behind No. 65 High Street in Glasgow. Washing hangs from poles attached to the sides of the tenement buildings, whilst a gutter for sewage runs down the middle of the alley. A child leans against the wall of the tenement watching the photographer at work, other figures appear as blurs due to the long exposure time.

A photograph entitled 'Close, No. 65 High Street', taken by Thomas Annan in 1868.

The photograph shows a close behind No. 65 High Street in Glasgow.

Washing hangs from poles attached to the sides of the tenement buildings, whilst a gutter for sewage runs down the middle of the alley. A child leans against the wall of the tenement watching the photographer at work, other figures appear as blurs due to the long exposure time.

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.