Mary Dillwyn

Mary Dillwyn (1816-1906), claimed to be the earliest female photographer in Wales, took amateur photographs of flowers, animals, family and friends in the 1840s and 1850s.

Biography

Mary Dillwyn was the younger sister of the more widely recognized photographer John Dillwyn Llewelyn (1810-1882) who developed new photographic techniques, and Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn, the father of Amy Dillwyn. Most of the photographs taken by Dillwyn are small calotypes from the 1840s and 1850s, making her the first female photographer in Wales. Her images are more spontaneous and 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.^[1]^[2] Mary died at Arthog, Meirionnydd in December 1906.^[3]

Photographs

Photographs taken by Dillwyn have been preserved in albums acquired by the National Library of Wales. An album containing 42 salt prints and 1 albumen print, measuring 11.1 × 8.8 cm, was bought by the library in 2002. It contains views of the Dillwyn Llewelyn home at Penllergaer, portraits of family and friends and studies of flowers and birds.^[4] One of her images is said to be the first photograph of a smile.^[5] 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.^[5] A second album, the Llysdinam Album (c. 1853), measuring 12 × 9.7 cm, 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.^[6]

She is also credited with taking the first known photograph of a snowman.^[7]