'The Romance of a Shop' Summary

The novel opens in April, shortly after the death of the Lorimers' father. The house and most of their belongings are to be sold in the coming week, leaving the four Lorimer sisters – Fanny, Gertrude, Lucy, and Phyllis – very poor. The young women realize that they must find a way to earn money in order to support themselves. Gertrude, the novel's central character, proposes that they open a studio and put their skills in photography to use. They decide that Gerty, Lucy, and Phyllis will operate the studio while Fanny acts as housekeeper.

Lucy departs for a three-month apprenticeship at the successful photography studio of a family friend while Gerty begins to seek a location for their own studio. She leases two floors with an attached studio at 20B Upper Baker Street which they can afford with the modest means left to them. The sisters, with help from their friends the Devonshires, labor through all of June to prepare the studio for its opening. The studio opens at the end of July after Lucy returns from her apprenticeship. The Lorimers receive steady business from friends and acquaintances through the fall, though many customers hold a prejudice and expect to pay less for their services than they would for male photographers. Soon the Lorimers are hired to photograph artists' works. They begin making connections within the artistic community of London.