Corner of Duke Street and High Street 1897

James Craig Annan made this photograph, "Corner of Duke Street and High Street", using photogravure, a printing process involving copper plates. This was not exactly an everyday technique, but neither was it fine art in the traditional sense. It was a mode of mechanical reproduction. Look closely, and you'll notice the pitted texture, almost like an etching. That's because the image is transferred onto the plate, then bitten with acid. Annan likely chose this process to imbue the scene with a sense of texture, mimicking the rough stone of the buildings depicted. Consider the social context: this isn't a grand vista, but a cramped urban space, probably in Glasgow, where Annan was based. The photogravure process, with its capacity for detailed reproduction, brings a certain dignity to this everyday scene. It invites us to consider the lives lived within these walls, the labor that sustained them, and the impact of industrial capitalism on the urban environment. In the end, Annan’s choice of process elevates a commonplace subject, demonstrating how even mechanical means can reveal the artistry and social significance embedded in our surroundings.