Richard Beard (photographer)

Richard Beard helped to establish professional photography in the UK. He purchased a monopoly on the patent of the Daguerreotype process in England and Wales. Beard was a robust defender of his commercial interests, engaging in many legal actions, including against Antoine Claudet.

About Richard Beard (photographer) in brief

Summary Richard Beard (photographer)Richard Beard was an English entrepreneur and photographer. He vigorously protected his photographic business by litigation over his patents. Beard helped to establish professional photography in the UK. He purchased a monopoly on the patent of the Daguerreotype process in England and Wales and spent £20,000 in establishing a chain of photographic studios in London.

Beard was a robust defender of his commercial interests, engaging in many legal actions, including against Antoine Claudet. In the 1860s, Beard briefly established himself as a medical galvanist. Beard died in Hampstead and was buried at Hampstead Cemetery. He was the son of Richard Bowden Beard and his wife, Elizabeth.