!['Willy' smiling](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/%27Willy%27_smiling._Mary_Dillwyn_Col._1853.jpg)
Mary Dillwyn (1816–1906) is considered to be the earliest female photographer in
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
, who took photographs of flowers, 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
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
, pushing the boundaries of what could be considered as worthy subjects to photograph.
Biography
Mary Dillwyn was the daughter of
Lewis Weston Dillwyn
Lewis Weston Dillwyn, FRS (21 August 1778 – 31 August 1855) was a British porcelain manufacturer, naturalist and Whig Member of Parliament (MP).
Biography
He was born in Walthamstow, Essex, the eldest son of William Dillwyn (1743–1824) and ...
(1778–1855) and Mary Adams (1776–1865), the natural daughter of
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
John Llewelyn of
Penllergaer
Penllergaer ( cy, Penlle'r-gaer) is a village and community in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, to the east of Gorseinon, within the electoral ward of the same name. It is situated about 4.5 miles north west of Swansea city centre, near jun ...
and Ynysygerwn. She was the younger sister of photographer
John Dillwyn Llewelyn
John Dillwyn Llewelyn FRS FRAS (12 January 1810 – 24 August 1882) was a Welsh botanist and pioneer photographer.
Early life
He was born in the parish of Llangyfelach, Swansea, Wales, the eldest son of Lewis Weston Dillwyn and Mary Dillwy ...
(1810–1882), who developed new photographic techniques, and
Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn
Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn (19 May 1814 – 19 June 1892) was a Welsh industrialist and Liberal politician who served as MP for Swansea for 37 years.
Early life
Dillwyn was born in Swansea, Wales, the fourth of six children of Lewis Weston Dillwy ...
, father of the novelist and industrialist
Amy Dillwyn
Elizabeth Amy Dillwyn (16 May 1845 – 13 December 1935) was a Welsh novelist, businesswoman, and social benefactor. She was one of the first female industrialists in Britain.
Born in Sketty, Swansea, Dillwyn was a member of a prominent family ...
and the
lepidopterist
Lepidopterology ()) is a branch of entomology concerning the scientific study of moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies. Someone who studies in this field is a lepidopterist or, archaically, an aurelian.
Origins
Post-Renaissance, t ...
Mary De la Beche "Minnie" Nicholl. The Dillwyn Llewelyn family was also related through marriage to
William Henry Fox Talbot
William Henry Fox Talbot FRS FRSE FRAS (; 11 February 180017 September 1877) was an English scientist, inventor, and photography pioneer who invented the salted paper and calotype processes, precursors to photographic processes of the later ...
, who claimed to discover
photography
Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...
in 1839. She was ahead of her time for her interest in new revolutionary technology: Most of the photographs taken by Dillwyn are small
calotype
Calotype or talbotype is an early photographic process introduced in 1841 by William Henry Fox Talbot, using paper coated with silver iodide. Paper texture effects in calotype photography limit the ability of this early process to record low co ...
s from the 1840s and 1850s, making her the first female photographer in
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. Unlike her male counterparts, Dillwyn preferred a small camera which, as it only needed short exposure times, provided her with the opportunity to take more spontaneous photographs that captured the intimate moments of her family and friends in
Victorian life. Because of this, her work appeared as more natural than those of other photographers of the period. Her interest in photography appears to have ended in 1857 when she married Reverend Montague Earle Welby. Mary died at
Arthog
Arthog () is a village, post town and community in the Meirionnydd area in Gwynedd, north Wales including the villages of Fairbourne and Friog. It is located on the A493, approximately west of Dolgellau, and had a population of 1,010 in 2001, ...
,
Meirionnydd
Meirionnydd is a coastal and mountainous region of Wales. It has been a kingdom, a cantref, a district and, as Merionethshire, a county.
Kingdom
Meirionnydd (Meirion, with -''ydd'' as a Welsh suffix of land, literally ''Land adjoined to Meirio ...
in December 1906.
Photographs
Photographs taken by Dillwyn have been preserved in albums acquired by the
National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales ( cy, Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru), Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million boo ...
. An album containing 42 salt prints and one albumen print, measuring 11.1 × 8.8 cm (4¼" x 3½"), was bought by the library in 2002. It contains views of the Dillwyn Llewelyn home at
Penllergare
Penllergare is a country park in Wales. It was the estate of John Dillwyn Llewelyn adjacent to what is now the village of Penllergaer, Swansea. Although the names are similar, the village of Penllergaer grew up as a separate entity from the Pen ...
, portraits of family and friends and studies of flowers and birds. One of her images is said to be the first photograph of a smile.
She managed to capture the fleeting expression of her little nephew, William Mansel Llewelyn, as he gazed intently at something off camera. The photograph is typical of Dillwyn's informal approach.
[John Ezard, "First smile captured on film in Britain"](_blank)
''The Guardian'', 26 February 2003. Retrieved 12 March 2013. The "first smile" claim is certainly wrong: see, for example, the well-known c. 1844 "Edinburgh Ale" in the Hill & Adamson
Hill & Adamson was the first photography studio in Scotland, set up by painter David Octavius Hill and engineer Robert Adamson in 1843. During their brief partnership that ended with Adamson's untimely death, Hill & Adamson produced "the first s ...
article's gallery. A second album, the
Llysdinam
Llysdinam is a hamlet (place), hamlet located in Powys, Wales, to the west and near to the town of Llandrindod Wells.
History
The Llysdinam estate and hamlet were created by the Venables family around their Llysdinam House, in Newbridge-on-Wye, t ...
Album (c. 1853), measuring 12 × 9.7 cm (4¾" x 3¾"), contains 72 salt prints from the calotype process. The images are of flowers, dolls, birds and pet animals as well as family and friends. It was acquired by the National Library of Wales in 2007.
She is also credited with taking the first known photograph of a
snowman
A snowman is an anthropomorphic snow sculpture of a man often built in regions with sufficient snowfall and is a common winter tradition. In many places, typical snowmen consist of three large snowballs of different sizes with some additional ...
, circa 1853.
Legacy
There is a pub named Mary Dillwyn after her in
Swansea
Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe).
The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
, West Wales.
Gallery
File:Mrs Vivian and little Ernest (4095825678).jpg
File:Sally and Mrs Reed (4095065677).jpg
File:Willy and Mustard (4095064345).jpg
File:Sketty Hall.jpg
File:Two Welsh country people (4095065845).jpg
File:Thereza and Emma (4095065141).jpg
File:The Snowman No. 2 (4095825226).jpg
References
External links
Mary Dillwyn's Lysdinam Album from the National Library of Wales
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dillwyn, Mary
Welsh women photographers
1816 births
1906 deaths
People from Swansea
19th-century Welsh photographers
Pioneers of photography
19th-century women photographers
Dillwyn family