In 1867, there were two photographers working in Charlotte. The number increased to twenty by 1930. (Branson’s North Carolina Business Directory, 1867-1868, p 73 and Charlotte, North Carolina City and Suburban Directory, 1930, pp. 1018-1019.)

Photography came into its own in the mid-nineteenth century throughout the United States. (Care and Identification of 19th-Century Photographic Prints by James M. Reilly, Kodak Publication No. G-2S, 1986, pp. 1-5.) With the coming of the Civil War, a memento such as a tintype or a daguerreotype were treasured by soldiers and their families, who were parted for months and even years at a time. This was also true of Charlotteans.