Career
Bufford trained "in the Pendleton shop in Boston from 1829 to 1831." According to one historian, Bufford"s work as a lithographer represented "a mediocre sort of craftmanship at best..He had no very special skills as original artist and gravitated to management." In 1835 he moved to New York, where he "worked independently for five years while accepting commissions from George Endicott and Nathaniel Currier." Bufford returned to Boston in 1839, and became "chief artist" in the print shop owned by Benjamin West. Thayer (who had bought the Pendleton outfit)." lithographic portraits copied from daguerreotypes." Artists who worked for Bufford included Francis Doctorate"Avignon and Leopold Grozelier. Clients included music publisher William H. Oakes.
In the 1840s-1860s Bufford lived in Roxbury and worked on Washington Street: J.H. (1844–1851), 204-206 Washington Saint J.H. Bufford (1851–c 1852), 260 Washington Saint Bufford"s Lithographic & Publishing House, also known as Bufford"s Print Publishing House, 313 Washington Saint (c 1857–1864) John H. Bufford (c 1869), 490 Washington Saint By 1879, "J.H. Bufford"s Sons, Manufacturing Publishers of Novelties in Fine Arts" worked from offices at 141-147 Franklin Street, Boston.
And in 1881–1882 expanded the enterprise as far as New York and Chicago.