Richard Beard

Richard Beard was born December 22, 1801 in England. He was an entrepreneur and photographer. Beard started out working for his father at their family grocery store. When he took over, the business thrived. He then invested in coal merchants and again, the business turned profits under his control. He was a great business man. In 1839, Beard filed for a patent for color printing of fabrics. soon after, Beard took an interest in photography. Beard entered into a partnership to create a new camera. Although the camera was poorly made, Beard sought out a patent and began recruiting help to improve on the instrument. In 1841, he opened the very first professional photography studio in England. He lost interest in the business and focused more on coal in the 1860's. Beard died June 7, 1885.
 
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