Hansom Cabs in Eagle Inn Close - Ref: WC1016
The Hansom cab was an extremely popular means of transport in Dundee at the turn of the 20th century. Designed by Joseph Hansom, the carriage allowed passengers to see where they were going by positioning the driver high at the rear.
In Dundee, W.P. Robertson, who rose from a worker to the owner of one of the city's most successful coach-hiring companies, was a pioneer of the rubber-tyre version, which offered slightly more comfort, albeit on bumpy cobbled streets.
According to the 1891 and 1901 Census returns, Eagle Inn Close was situated at 144 Murraygate.
Alexander Wilson who took this photograph, was a supervisor in a Dundee jute mill for over 20 years. He bequeathed much of his collection and £50, to cover the costs involved, to the Free Library Committee of Dundee in 1923.