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Incredible black and white photographs show the struggle and squalor of life in Glasgow slums in the 1860s

Thomas Annan's work was highly commended that he was awarded the Royal Warrant from Queen Victoria herself

THESE are the haunting images of squalor and poverty endured by the poor in Glasgow's slums during the 19th Century that helped improve the living conditions in Victorian Britain.

For over a decade, Thomas Annan shed light on what life was really like for the poor living in the Victorian era.

A young child perches on the steps outside one of the slum houses on the cobbled streets of Glasgow in 1874
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A young child perches on the steps outside one of the slum houses on the cobbled streets of Glasgow in 1874Credit: Alamy

Nine years after setting up his first artistic studio, Annan was commissioned by the Glasgow City Improvement Trust to take pictures of slum areas in the city in 1866.

The request followed a new Government measure, the Glasgow Improvement Act, which was set-up to improve living conditions for the poor.

They wanted Annan to take snaps of the slums before they were demolished by the council, using his images as documented evidence of the old housing.

He released the snaps in his collection The Old Closes and Streets of Glasgow, which was published in 1878.

A man and children standing in Old Vennel, an alley off of High Street in Glasgow, 1867
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A man and children standing in Old Vennel, an alley off of High Street in Glasgow, 1867Credit: Getty Images
Glasgow's High Street in 1867, where three globes stick out of a building to mark the entrance of a pawn shop
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Glasgow's High Street in 1867, where three globes stick out of a building to mark the entrance of a pawn shopCredit: Getty Images

In the time of rapid industrialisation, Annan’s photos captured the problems society faced as it battled to keep up with the unrelenting pace of change.

Residents lived in unbelievably cramped conditions and houses were packed onto the streets that wound around like a labyrinth.

People’s laundry was strung out to dry on the dark and unsanitary roads and entire households crammed together to get into a single photo.

Close 267, High Street, Glasgow was snapped in 1897, when industrialisation was well underway in Scotland
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Close 267, High Street, Glasgow was snapped in 1897, when industrialisation was well underway in ScotlandCredit: Getty Images
This gloomy alley picture was taken in Glasgow, 1867, and showed how closely together the houses were packed
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This gloomy alley picture was taken in Glasgow, 1867, and showed how closely together the houses were packedCredit: Getty Images

The fact that Annan was able to achieve such clarity in his pictures is remarkable, especially as the exposure time would often take minutes.

The early image process, known as wet collodion, forced Annan to coat and develop the photos as quickly as possible before they dried.

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Doing this out on the field was tricky, as it required the photographer to bring along his own portable darkroom.

As Annan juggled with the bulky equipment in the dark conditions, his subjects would have to stand as still as possible while he took the snaps, to stop the photographs from blurring.

A young child stands in the doorway of Close No. 65, High Street, Glasgow in January 1860
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A young child stands in the doorway of Close No. 65, High Street, Glasgow in January 1860Credit: Getty Images
A street adjacent to Glasgow High Street taken by Thomas Annan in 1868
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A street adjacent to Glasgow High Street taken by Thomas Annan in 1868Credit: Alamy
Alleyways woven in between the tightly packed houses, like No. 38 High Street in 1868
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Alleyways woven in between the tightly packed houses, like No. 38 High Street in 1868Credit: Alamy
A snap of buildings on Low Green Street, which were a part of a 1868-1877 collection
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A snap of buildings on Low Green Street, which were a part of a 1868-1877 collectionCredit: Getty Images

It’s no surprise that his detailed images proved a major talking point in the Victorian era.

His work was so highly commended that he was awarded the Royal Warrant from Queen Victoria herself.

His collection was also displayed in the Glasgow Exhibitions of 1888, 1901 and 1911.

Thomas Annan's amazing photography isn't the first to shed light on conditions in slum Britain.

Photographer Nick Hedges worked with housing charity, Shelter, to capture the struggle of life in the 1960s.

As well as this, early last year, captivating black and white photos revealed how communities lived in 19th century Britain.

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