Chase was born in Maine and ran two photography studios in Colorado from 1873 to the 1880s.
After primarily running his practice in Trinidad, Colorado, he moved one of his studios to the Santa Fe plaza, in New Mexico territory.
The work space Chase occupied in Santa Fe had previously been the studio of the photographer William Henry Brown.
In 1892, he sold his gallery in Santa Fe to Thomas J. Curran, a photographer.
The New Mexico History Museum Palace of the Governors photo archives holds 230 of his photographic prints including images of the town of Santa Fe during the territorial period, the Puebloan people and other New Mexico scenes.