William Alton Taylor spent four decades as one of the USDA's most productive pomologists, joining the Bureau of Plant Industry in 1891 and eventually becoming chief of the Bureau by 1913. A prolific scientific author, Taylor produced numerous studies on American fruit varieties, including his contributions to the USDA's systematic documentation of apples, pears, and small fruits. Under his leadership the Bureau became one of the most photographically active divisions of the federal government, producing extensive illustrated bulletins in which photography played a central documentary role.