Sydney Smith (1884 -1958) was the youngest son of a Pickering builder in North Yorkshire. He became interested in photography as a young man, opening a photographic business in Pickering around 1910. From 1914 to 1947, he produced many portraits, scenes of people in their daily lives at work and play, and postcards. These became a unique record of the Ryedale rural community. He had infinite patience and could wait hours for the sunlight and shadows to be just right. In the late 1960s his wife, Maud, donated about 2000 images and glass plate negatives to the Beck Isle Museum. They had been stored in a garage since 1956. The museum has actively collected postcards and photographs by Sydney Smith offering a unique glimpse into life across the Ryedale area.