I just found this excellent resource called
Photopolis that collects together around 5000 digitised photographs of old Dundee circa 1870-1905.
I used to enjoy heading to the DCA when they showed old film of Dundee and I have a number of books that have been published that contain collections of photos of Dundee also. Unfortunately at the DCA screenings I was quite often one of the youngest in attendance, usually beaten only by the 8 year olds on a night out with their grandparents.
The Dundee Photopolis collection is described thus:
The majority of photographs are the work of Alexander Wilson. Wilson was born in Duns, Berwickshire, and moved to Dundee in his twenties to become calender manager in the Baltic Street Calender of Baxter Brothers of Dundee. For over 30 years, he devoted his leisure time to photography. Many subjects were recorded over the years, but it is evident from the collection that his main interest was architecture. Alexander Wilson recorded the changing face of buildings in Dundee from the 1870s to 1905. It was fortunate that he was active at this time, since in the years that followed much redevelopment in Dundee resulted in elements of the City vanishing forever.
Before his death in 1922 he bequeathed the majority of his 5,000 glass negatives to the Free Library Committee of the Town Council, with the sum of £50 to assist with conservation. The Collection is now stored in the Local Studies Department of the Central Library. The slides have been catalogued and are preserved in archival boxes. Prints have been made of the glass negatives and can be viewed by the public.
