Wilson Todd was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1894. In 1916, he enlisted in the US Army and served in World War I. Mr. Todd served three-and-one-half years in the Army, stationed in France. During his military service, he took an interest in photography. Wilson Todd left the military in May 1919 with the rank of Major.

Todd's interest in photography became a profession upon his return to St. Louis. His area of interest was photographing people. In 1919, with a business loan for $500.00 from the First National Bank in St. Louis and $50 of his own money, Wilson Todd opened his first studio. The studio was located on Grand Avenue across from the Rialto Theatre. At the time, the Grand theatre district was the pinnacle of the St. Louis entertainment district with many national stars touring through St. Louis. Todd Studios continued to grow, and Wilson Todd became well known among area business executives and celebrities. During this time, commercial photography played a very small role in the overall business of Todd Studios. Many companies only used line art for advertising. Todd concentrated on portraits that were shot primarily on 5" x 7" glass plates.

In 1924,Wilson Todd was commissioned by the St. Louis Municipal Opera to be the opera's official photographer. Working with opera contacts, various agents and agencies, Mr. Todd switched his emphasis from business portraiture to theatrical photography.

During this period, Todd photographed notables such as Bing Crosby, Ginger Rogers, and John Phillip Sousa. He also enjoyed photographing countless other theatrical performers. His theatrical work was shot primarily on 8" x 10" glass plates. Todd also perfected his technique for large volume print making, printing 20,000 8" x 10" prints ordered by comedian Joe Penner.

In 1926, Mr. Todd moved the studio to a high profile location in the Continental Building on Olive Street. He obtained the two-story penthouse that was originally built for the president of First National Bank. The business prospered. The demand for Wilson Todd's photography was so great that he added a staff of five photographers. Mr. Todd concentrated on his love of theatrical photography, while his other photographers specialized in commercial photography.

The rise of sound motion pictures in the early thirties translated into the decline of stage performances and the demand for theatrical photography. Recognizing this eventuality, Wilson Todd redirected the emphasis of his business. Although his love was for the avante garde work of the performer, commercial photography was soon to be his mainstay.

The demand for advertising photography and product photography had taken off by the mid-to-late 1930's. Again, Wilson Todd's exceptional photographic talent was in high demand. Todd's staff was increased to over fifteen employees. The studio shot for many leading companies and advertising agencies across the U. S. During this period, Todd also began to market a product he invented called "Master-touch" which was used in the re-touching of black and white negatives and glass plates. Todd also pioneered a stock photography business. He created books he could send to agencies with stock photographs that they could order for usage in advertising and promotions.

By the 1940's, Wilson Todd's business was well established and he began to spend more time pursuing other interests. Although he still shot advertising photography throughout the 40's, he sold his business to his employees and retired in 1949 at the age of 55.

Upon retiring, Todd moved to Florida with his wife and the business moved from the Continental Building to a new location at the corner of Sara and Lindell. Wilson Todd died in St. Petersburg Florida in May 1976 at 82 years of age. He had no children.

The legacy of Wilson Todd's work lives on at Todd Studios Inc. The studio is nearing its 80th anniversary and much of Wilson Todd's original work has been preserved. The Wilson Todd collection dates back to 1919 with over 3,000 images by Todd. The collection is not only important because of its historical content, it is also important to the photographic arts community for his innate ability to paint his subjects with light. Wilson Todd's work also demonstrates his skill in printing. His images reveal exceptional tonal range and are high quality. A pioneer in studio lighting, Wilson Todd often required subjects to remain still for long periods of time as he lit them with 5,000K Hollywood studio spotlights and photographed them using a 16" x 20" Century camera. The camera remains on display at Todd Studios.