Portret van David McEwan before 1875

This is a portrait of David McEwan, made by Thomas Annan in the 19th century. It’s a photograph, which was a relatively new medium at the time. The technology of photography changed the way people saw themselves and the world around them. It allowed for more accurate and accessible representations of people and places. In 19th-century Scotland, class and religious identity played a central role in public life. Annan specialized in portraiture and landscape photography and he was a prominent figure in Glasgow's artistic scene. Examining historical records such as census data, church documents, and local newspapers can provide valuable context for interpreting this portrait. Portraits like this one reflect and reinforce social hierarchies, but they also provide us with a glimpse into the lives of individuals who lived in a different time. The historian’s role is to uncover these layers of meaning and connect them to the broader social and institutional context in which the work was created.