Starting his career as an artist he moved into engraving on wood and copper before starting as a colour printer in 1849. He was a Baxter Licence but also used his own modified process to print his 'Chromographs'. His main work by Baxter's process is 'Studies of the Great Masters'. He did a lot of work for the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge and issued many illustrations for books and also sets of reward cards. Quite a prolific printer his works were catalogued by Alfred Docker in the 1920's, 'Colour Prints of William Dickes'