Dundee Harbour and Docks - Ref: WC0972
This Alexander Wilson photograph shows the tidal harbour at Dundee, looking northwards, with the spire of St Paul's Cathedral rising above the fairly regular city skyline, the nearest buildings being in Dock Street.
The sailing ship to the left (berthed alongside the No. 4 and No. 4a sheds) was most likely a jute carrier, arrived from Calcutta or Chittagong. Beyond her is the Royal Arch, built in 1848 by popular demand to commemorate an 1844 visit by Queen Victoria.
The trawlers in front of the south wall of King William IV Dock form part of Dundee's considerable fishing fleet. Although most of the city's money came from jute, there was a fixed fish market (on nearby Craig Pier), which needed daily stocks.
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.