Yucho Chow was born on 3 June 1876, in Hoy Ping (now called Kaiping), Guangdong province, China.

[1][2] Leaving his wife and two children behind, he arrived in Canada in February 1902, with the requirement of paying the $100 head tax.

He opened his doors to customers of South Asian; African; Indigenous; mixed-race and Eastern European descent.

[5] Chow paid careful attention to his props and backdrops, using them to convey an aura of sophistication and success for his patrons.

[6] In 1935, his studio was extensively damaged by fire, and afterwards he changed his background from European opulence to a striking Art Deco style.

[7] Over four decades, he captured photos of people across the arc of life's journey: from newborn babies to the recently deceased (whose photographs were sent back to family in China and Europe, and served as an informal death certificate).

[4] Cultural researcher Naveen Gill stated, "Without him, I would say we had almost no photographs of the early South Asian community.

Since the Yucho Chow Studio was open twenty four hours, Mabel worked long days and did everything from carrying the heavy tripod to developing the film.