Close No. 136 Saltmarket 1868

Thomas Annan's photograph, "Close No. 136 Saltmarket", presents a stark depiction of urban life. The composition is dominated by strong vertical lines of the buildings, tightly framing the narrow alleyway. This creates an oppressive, almost claustrophobic feel. The limited palette of greys and blacks enhances the grim reality of the scene. Annan masterfully uses light and shadow to reveal texture and form. Notice how the rough surfaces of the stone walls are accentuated by the play of light, contrasting with the smoother texture of the cobblestone street. The washing lines, stretched between buildings, form a secondary layer of lines that cut across the verticality of the architecture. The wheelbarrow in the foreground adds a human element, yet it also serves to emphasize the cramped space. The photograph's power lies in its formal construction, the bleak atmosphere and the stark reality of urban poverty. The visual structure of the image is a comment on the socio-economic structures of the time. Annan's Saltmarket is not merely a documentation, but a powerful statement about the conditions of urban life in nineteenth-century Glasgow.