Founder of the National Photographic Association, Benjamin Stone was an enthusiastic and prolific amateur photographer who advocated the value of photography for preserving a record of people, places and intangible cultural heritage. Stone had significant personal wealth and was a long-serving politician, and his public position gave him privileged access to prestigious occasions and locations, such as the Tower of London. Stone made topographical views of the Tower as well as photographing architectural details and ancient ceremonies enacted by its wardens for the national historic record (see the Yeoman Warders photograph below).