Old Vennel, Off High Street

1868-1871

Thomas Annan

Associated Names
Thomas Annan

Artist, Scottish, 1829 - 1887

This is a photograph of a narrow, cobblestone street flanked by aged stone buildings. The photograph captures an alleyway with stone walls. Suspended above the street are hanging cloths on lines strung between the buildings. The buildings have small, rectangular windows, and one features a wooden sign. An overcast sky adds an element of atmosphere to the scene. The perspective draws the eye down the alley. Shadows and highlights hint at diffused light.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    carbon print

  • Credit Line

    Patrons' Permanent Fund

  • Dimensions

    image: 26.9 x 22.3 cm (10 9/16 x 8 3/4 in.)
    sheet: 50.8 x 37.9 cm (20 x 14 15/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1995.36.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

David and Mary Robinson, Sausalito, CA; NGA purchase, 1995.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1986

  • 19th Century Photographs from the Collection of Mary and David Robinson, Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts, California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, 1986.

2016

  • Intersections: Photographs and Videos from the National Gallery of Art and the Corcoran Gallery of Art, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2016 - 2017, unnumbered catalogue.

Bibliography

1977

  • Thomas Annan: Photographs of the Old Closes and Streets of Glasgow 1868/1877, with a Supplement of 15 Related Views. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1977, illus.pl.2.

  • Mozley, Anita V. "Thomas Annan of Glasgow." Journal of Photography and Motion Pictures of the International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House 20:2 (June 1977), pp.1-12.

Inscriptions

on mount, lower center printed in black ink: 2. Old Vennel, off High Street; by later hand, on mount, lower right in graphite: R283

Wikidata ID

Q64170341

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