
Commercial photography was only introduced to England in 1841 but arrived
in Leeds the following year and these adverts are for the Photographic Portrait
Gallery 1842-44. Photography was dependant upon sunlight; the better the
light, the shorter the exposure which meant that there was less chance of the person
moving, becoming a blur in the final photograph. The camera flash did not exist in the
1840s. This was a state-of-the-art glazed rooftop studio, making the most of the available
daylight in a town where tall town centre buildings blocked out the light to the lower floors.
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