How Raymond Depardon’s photography captured the spirit of 1980s Glasgow in 11 nostalgic pictures

By Declan McConville

Digital Reporter

Published 24th Dec 2025, 10:00 GMT

This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.

These are old nostalgic pictures which capture Glasgow life in the 1980s.

Taken during visits to Glasgow in autumn 1980 and spring 1981, the photographs form a compelling visual record of a city that has since changed beyond recognition.

Born in France in 1942, Raymond Depardon is an award-winning photojournalist and filmmaker whose documentary work is rooted in the tradition of direct cinema. In 1980, commissioned by The Sunday Times, Depardon travelled to Glasgow, where he produced a striking body of images capturing everyday life in the city. Never published at the time, the photographs lay forgotten in a box at his home for years before being rediscovered and brought to public attention through an exhibition.

His photographs of Glasgow have been turned into a remarkable book, you can order a copy here.

In November 2020, the School of Modern Languages and Cultures of the University of Glasgow hosted an interview with Raymond Depardon on the topic of his celebrated photographs of Glasgow.

Images: © Raymond Depardon | Magnum Photos

"I come to Glasgow, and I don’t speak English. I had no idea what people were saying to me! And the first people to help me – who were wonderful with me – were the children. And when I look at these photographs now, what is incredible is that I did two thirds of these photos with a 28mm lens. It was like a tracking shot. I walked and walked, for hours, and took photos of those I passed. I walked and walked, for hours, and took photos of those I passed."

1. Raymond Depardon | Magnum Photos

"I come to Glasgow, and I don’t speak English. I had no idea what people were saying to me! And the first people to help me – who were wonderful with me – were the children. And when I look at these photographs now, what is incredible is that I did two thirds of these photos with a 28mm lens. It was like a tracking shot. I walked and walked, for hours, and took photos of those I passed. I walked and walked, for hours, and took photos of those I passed." | © Raymond Depardon | Magnum Photos

"From my point of view, it was all so exotic! You have to remember that I was coming to Glasgow from the desert, which is a difficult place to photograph. A few months before the Glasgow photos, I was with rebels in the north of Chad. So, when I set foot on the streets of Glasgow, the whole setting, the people I passed on the footpaths, all of that seemed new to me."

2. Raymond Depardon | Magnum Photos

"From my point of view, it was all so exotic! You have to remember that I was coming to Glasgow from the desert, which is a difficult place to photograph. A few months before the Glasgow photos, I was with rebels in the north of Chad. So, when I set foot on the streets of Glasgow, the whole setting, the people I passed on the footpaths, all of that seemed new to me." | © Raymond Depardon | Magnum Photos

"You have to know that these photos spent thirty three years in boxes, and it’s thanks to Hervé Chandès [who commissioned Such a sweet moment, the 2013 exhibition of Depardon’s photos at Paris’s Grand Palais] that they made it out of there."

3. Raymond Depardon | Magnum Photos

"You have to know that these photos spent thirty three years in boxes, and it’s thanks to Hervé Chandès [who commissioned Such a sweet moment, the 2013 exhibition of Depardon’s photos at Paris’s Grand Palais] that they made it out of there." | © Raymond Depardon | Magnum Photos

"I look at these photos today, I say to myself that I was like a Martian in Glasgow– and maybe that was a stroke of luck. I took photos of what I saw: children, alcoholics, the poor, the few rich people I passed. And in a certain way, perhaps I wasn’t really conscious of what I was doing. I took it all at face value…"

4. Raymond Depardon | Magnum Photos

"I look at these photos today, I say to myself that I was like a Martian in Glasgow– and maybe that was a stroke of luck. I took photos of what I saw: children, alcoholics, the poor, the few rich people I passed. And in a certain way, perhaps I wasn’t really conscious of what I was doing. I took it all at face value…" | © Raymond Depardon | Magnum Photos

Glasgow Photography France People