Close No. 31 Saltmarket 1868

"Close No. 31 Saltmarket" is a photograph taken in 1868 by Scottish photographer Thomas Annan. The image, now housed at The Art Institute of Chicago, portrays a narrow, cobblestone alley in Glasgow, Scotland. Annan was a pioneer of social documentary photography, capturing the realities of urban life in the Victorian era. His work often focused on the poverty and overcrowding in the city's slums. This particular image captures the cramped and often neglected conditions of the working class in Glasgow, offering a glimpse into the harsh realities of daily life in the 19th century.