Mary Ann Osguthorpe (1843-1912)

Mary Ann was born in Sheffield in 1843, and most likely, moved to Scarborough with her husband and fellow photographer Henry Osguthorpe. After his death in 1883, Mary Ann took over main operations alongside her daughters Mary E. (b.1874), Lucy (b.1875) and Lillian (b.1876), who were most likely involved in the day to day operations, but uncredited until after Henry’s death. This is when adverts appeared labelling her as ‘Mrs Osguthorpe, the Lady Photographer,’ and her name appeared at the bottom of cabinet cards and other images produced. She offered a variety of different images including, cartes de visite and enlargements created in oils and water-colours. Her speciality was children but she would would also photograph images of dogs groups. The image below shows an older man on a card de visite, and an Album of Views of Scarborough part of the Camera series, that would have been offered to tourists as a memento. It is reported that her photography shop was for sale in 1899. it is unknown if she continued to operate her buisness after this. On the 7 September 1908 it was reported that Osguthorpe had been declared bankrupt.

In the late 1880 / early 1890s she along with a few other local photographers submitted photographs for an Album of Views of Scarborough and District (The Camera Series). Her two sons Herbert and Harry established the Osguthorpe Brothers studio in Spennymoor, County Durham in c.1900 (see Henry Osguthorpe for more information). In 1889 an advert in the Scarborough Evening News lists her charges as “Cartes, 4/6 doz; Cabinets, 10/6 doz”.