Mary Dillwyn

Mary Dillwyn
Mary Dillwyn, self-portrait (c. 1853)
Born1816
Wales
DiedDecember 1906 (aged 89 or 90)
Arthog, Meirionnydd, Wales
Occupation(s)photographer and wife
Known forpioneering photography
SpouseReverend Montague Earle Welby
Parent(s)Lewis Weston Dillwyn
Mary Adams (cy)
The Snowman No. 2
'Willy' smiling, 1853

Mary Dillwyn (1816 – December 1906) is considered to be the earliest female photographer in Wales, who took photographs of flowers, birds, animals, family and friends in the 1840s and 1850s. She provided a raw insight to the domestic lives of women and children living in 19th century Britain, pushing the boundaries of what could be considered as worthy subjects to photograph.