Close No. 193 High Street 1868

Thomas Annan captured this photograph of the High Street in Glasgow with albumen silver print. Dominating the scene are textiles suspended above the alleyway, reminiscent of draped canopies, that have been used for centuries to mark sacred spaces. Whether adorning the baldachins over Catholic altars or used during ancient fertility rites, the motif of draped cloth has long signified transition, protection, and the unveiling of the divine. Consider the "veil of Veronica," a powerful relic believed to bear the imprint of Christ's face. This holy cloth reminds us how textiles can become imbued with the very essence of a sacred moment. Similarly, the humble laundry in Annan's photograph evokes complex feelings. It speaks to the ever-repeating cycles of daily life, in which ordinary objects take on a special aura.