Bradley and Rulofson

Bradley and Rulofson (c. 1850 – 1878), consisting of Henry William Bradley (1813 – 1891) and William Herman Rulofson (1826 – 1878) was a prominent photographic firm in the early decades of San Francisco. Rulfoson had as a teenager apprenticed with a daguerrotype photographer and traveled in the U.S. and Europe to study with others and hone his skills. When the California Gold Rush began, Rulofson and his family moved to California, establishing the first photograph gallery in California in a town called Senora, which later burned down completely. Fortunately for Rulofson, his equipment was designed to be mobile and was effectively a studio on wheels.

Finding success, Rulofson eventually moved to San Francisco, where he went into business with Bradley, who had opened a photography studio in the city in 1850. The pair became widely renowned for their work, including portraiture and landscapes, with Rulofson especially being lauded for his photographic skills, being elected president of the National Photographic Association in 1874. But he died suddenly and unexpectedly in an accident at the studio, falling from its roof, after which it closed, and Bradley moved to Alameda.