Reekie, Glasgow

Edinburgh has been informally known as Auld Reekie since the 16th Century on account of the smoke rising from the coal fires of the tenement buildings. A similar atmosphere pervades this picture of the Glasgow docks, which, after Liverpool, was Grimshaw's most popular subject for urban night scenes. The shop interiors in this example are illustrated with startling detail, and names can clearly be read on the various advertisements.