Richard and Hannah were active promoters of their work and appear to have not only put it on display for purchase in their gallery, but sent it to local newspapers and major photographic journals as well.

Furthermore, their success as photographers in Victoria, and recognition for their travels, gained Richard a commission to take pictures of government functions and events locally, document the construction of the Cariboo road, the Barkerville gold fields, and the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway nationally, and seal fishing in the Bering Sea internationally. Likewise, Hannah was contracted in 1897 to take the official mug shots for the Victoria police.

Through their Photographic Gallery, the Maynard's established themselves in Victoria, created a remarkable reputation, and left an incredible legacy.

The Maynard's business venture is the focus of this site. One of the difficulties in focusing on this establishment is that the sources that have survived are limited at best. Little is known about how the Richard and Hannah began their operation, nor how it functioned, or for that matter who were its patrons, or where they purchased their supplies and equipment.

The most solid evidence remaining in this case are the photographs that have been collected and the articles that were written at that time about these photographs in journals and newspapers.

Richard and Hannah did leave a collection of diaries, but these are mainly limited to their travels. However, it is not only their photographs of Victoria's scenery and inhabitants, but that of their travels that helped them gain notoriety.

Richard and Hannah Maynard, 1880s BCA, CALL NUMBER: C-08673

Mr. & Mrs. R.Maynard, BCA,CALL NUMBER: A-01507