Names: | | Dates: | 1802 - 1885 | Born: | Great Britain, London | Died: | Great Britain, London | Active: | UK | The first British portrait photographer obtaining a license from Daguerre in 1841 for 150 pounds. He established his studio on the roof of the Polytechnic Institution in Regent Street, London and hired staff to take and process the portraits.
The original Daguerreotypes by Richard Beard on which the woodcuts for Henry Mayhew, London Labour and the London Poor (London: Charles Griffin, and Company, 1861) have not been located. In a posting to the Yahoo Photo-History group (11 March 2012) Roger Taylor wrote that the original woodblocks may be in the St Bride Library, Bride Lane, Fleet Street, London EC4Y 8EE, Tel: 020 7353 4660. Further details requested.
He wrote a letter on 17th April 1848 to the National Gallery in London asking permission to make daguerreotype copies of pictures in the gallery (National Gallery, Archive: NG5/72/3)
Stereographs project Business locations London, England, UK *"By..."; "Mr. Beard's Stereoscopic Daguerreotypes"; 309 Regent St., 42-49; 85 King William St., Millman Mews, New Millman St., 49-53; Royal Polytechnic Inst., Regent St., 52-54; 31 King William St., 55-57; Views rare, made early stereo dags., 3 seen. Also had branch at Liverpool; in partnership with Sharp, location unknown, at some point. Patented process of tinting photos, 42. B. Devon 01; D. 85. T.K. Treadwell & William C. Darrah (Compiled by), Wolfgang, Sell (Updated by), 11/28/2003, Photographers of the World (Non-USA), (National Stereoscopic Association) |
Credit: National Stereoscopic Association with corrections and additions by Alan Griffiths and others. |
NOTE: You are probably here because you have a stereograph to identify. Please email good quality copies of the front and back to alan@luminous-lint.com so we can create reference collections for all. |
Preparing biographies
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Family history If you are related to this photographer and interested in tracking down your extended family we can place a note here for you to help. It is free and you would be amazed who gets in touch. alan@luminous-lint.com |
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Exhibitions on this website |
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Wikipedia has a biography of this photographer. | Show on this site | Go to website | Getty Research, Los Angeles, USA has an ULAN (Union List of Artists Names Online) entry for this photographer. This is useful for checking names and they frequently provide a brief biography. | | Go to website |
The following books are useful starting points to obtain brief biographies but they are not substitutes for the monographs on individual photographers. |
If there is an analysis of a single photograph or a useful self portrait I will highlight it here. |
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