In addition to being a photography entrepreneur and believed to be a photographer himself, Pilcher was a businessman and an active member of official institutions and Cordoba's civil society. He managed two photography studios, one in partnership with Alejandro Witcomb between 1870 and 1872, and another after their separation, which he led until approximately 1890. Associated with the National Autonomist Party, Pilcher accompanied the modernization of the Mediterranean province promoted by Governor Juárez Celman with his camera. The book also includes an essay on the political, economic, and social conditions of Cordoba in the late 19th century.