Getty Museum

[Portrait of a German (?) man, seated]

Date

1853–1856

Medium

Hand-colored daguerreotype

Culture

British

Department

Photographs

Institution

Getty Museum

> In 1841, less than two years after the introduction of the daguerreotype process in France, Richard Beard, a coal merchant and entrepreneur, secured the sole patent for daguerreotypes in England, Wales, and the British colonies so that anyone who used the daguerreotype process in those countries was expected to pay Beard a license fee. That same year Beard opened England's first rooftop daguerreian portrait studio on Regent Street in London. The London newspaper *The Times* remarked favorably on the Beard studio's photographs: "The likenesses which we saw were admirable, and closely true to nature, beauties and deformities being exhibited alike." > > Beard's studio was a great financial success. As described in the [Victoria & Albert's entry on a daguerreotype by Beard](http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1248826/daguerreotype-beard-richard/), the next year, in 1842, he opened a second studio at 34 Parliament Street and a third at 85 King William Street. In 1850, however, like many operators of photographic studios, he went bankrupt. In his case it was because of legal disputes over payment of the license fees required to practice daguerreotypy. Beard continued to sell photographs until 1857, when he passed the business on to his son. > > Before the availability of commercial color materials in 1907, hand-coloring of black and white photographs was an extremely popular practice. The pinkish red of the tablecloth creates the illusion of natural color. The gold of the watch chain, however stands out as not having been so skillfully applied. For a more successful and elaborate example of hand-coloring, see [84.XT.266.14](http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/57695). Adapted from getty.edu, Interpretive Content Department, 2008; with additions by Carolyn Peter, Department of Photographs, J. Paul Getty Museum, 2019.

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