This is the first comprehensive study of the rise of photography in Salisbury from its beginnings in 1839 up to 1880. It includes the failed attempt to set up a commercial photography studio locally in 1846, through the nascent period of the 1850s, to the explosion in commercial photography during the 1860s, by which time there were twelve commercial photographers in the city. Profusely illustrated from his own and institutional collections, Anthony Hamber's study includes an overview of image making in Salisbury prior to the introduction of photography, a case study focusing on Salisbury Cathedral, and an appendix that lists both the amateur and the professional photographers active during the period.