"William Smedley-Aston (1868–1941) was with his wife Irene a Victorian Pre-Raphaelite Arts & Crafts photographer and member of the Birmingham Group of artists and the Linked Ring Brotherhood. He was also known as W. S. Aston or W. Smedley.
He was also instrumental in encouraging and financing early moving films or "Biographs" as they were initially know, through his firm the British Biograph Co.
He was married to Irene Smedley-Aston, who featured in many photographs, paintings and drawings of the Arts and Crafts movement because the couple were friends with other members of the Birmingham School of Art and the Birmingham Group (artists) such as Joseph Southall, Arthur Gaskin and Maxwell Armfield. Armfield´s wife was Constance née Smedley was William´s first cousin. Constance was a successful writer who like her husband had attended Birmingham School of Art." - (Wikipedia (en) 13.06.2020)
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