One of A & G Taylor's many different trade cards
Some photographic firms, like A & G Taylor, achieved nationwide, even international, status. Others remained one-man-bands, often eking out an income from a secondary skill, such as picture framing or running a chemist’s shop.
While A & G Taylor went from strength to strength, many small photgraphic businesses came and went in the space of a few years or less. Many photographers appear to have led a rather nomadic life. They crop up in different towns, often miles apart at different dates, presumably looking for greener grass on the other side of the hill. Life was not always kind to them – it is common to find photographers in the lists of prisoners on census returns.
Some photographers undoubtedly made a good living from snapping the public and continued in business for many years. However, for some, photography was probably viewed as a get rich quick occupation. While some carte de visite photos are almost works of art, there are many that somewhat less than competent.
However, each small photograph that survives adds to the sum of knowledge about the photographic phenomenon that took 19th century society by storm and, as such, gives us an unrivalled archive of the time.
