Jabez Hogg photographing Mr Johnson in Richard Beard's studio, c 1843

A daguerreotype of Jabez Hogg photographing Mr Johnson, made in 1843. Thought to be the first image of a photographer at work in a portrait studio. This daguerreotype is contained beneath a thin layer of glass and housed in a decorative brass oval case, which bears the stamp of the maker Thomas Wharton on the reverse.

Jabez Hogg (1817–1899) was an ophthalmic surgeon, editor and early photography enthusiast. In 1843, Hogg wrote one of the first photographic instruction books 'A Practical Manual of Photography'. This book contained a detailed section on how to make daguerreotypes. In 1841, Richard Beard opened Britain’s first photographic portrait studio in London’s Regent Street.