Draft:Sydney Smith (photographer)

Sydney Smith (1884-1958) was an English photographer who was born and worked in the North Riding of Yorkshire.

Life
Smith was born in Pickering, North Yorkshire in 1884 into a family of builders, with twelve siblings. Aged 14 Smith began working as a delivery boy at the local Co-op shop. While working there the manager showed Smith how to make a pinhole camera, leading to a lifelong interest in photography. From 1900 he built his photography business in Park Street, Pickering, and he lived above his studio with wife Maud who helped run the business.

Photography
Smith captured all aspects of local life including portraits and landscapes from 1900-1956. The surviving collection of photographs are a broad representation of rural life in Yorkshire's North Riding, from local towns and villages to farming practices and significant local weather events alongside documentary and formal portraits.

Legacy
His collection of around 25,000 images and over 400 cameras are now housed at Beck Isle Museum, Pickering.