[1] Sloane was most active as a naturalistic photographer at the turn of the twentieth century, garnering acclaim for his gum bichromate work.
[2][3][4][5] In Sloane's early twenties, he focused primarily on portraiture,[6] becoming a professional sometime thereafter[7] and remaining active until the 1940s, when a diving accident severely impaired his eyesight.
[8][9] Sloane experimented with gum bichromate, platinum, pigment, gaslight and gelatin silver prints and various lenses.
[13][14][15][16] Sloane began exhibiting with Alfred Stieglitz's (Portrait of Thomas O'Conor Sloane Jr by Stieglitz, c. early 1900s) cadre of artistic amateur photographers at The Camera Club of New York[17] and in 1902 was an original member of the influential Photo-Secession movement,[18][19][20][21][22] with his work appearing in that year's National Arts Club exhibition.
Sloane maintained a long friendship with fellow Photo-Secessionist and West Redding, Connecticut resident, photographer Edward Steichen.