Born on 3rd September 1876, she took up photography at the turn of the century, after being gifted her first camera in 1900 by her cousin Caroline. In 1905 Edis and her younger sister Katharine moved to the Norfolk seaside town of Sheringham, where they set up their first photographic studio together.

Over the course of her career, Edis experimented with photographic techniques, becoming a pioneer in the medium. She even patented her own 'diascope' design and developed the Lumiere Brothers' autochrome colour process.

Olive was known for offering a unique glimpse into the personal, inner worlds of her subjects, including members of high society, politicians and the Royal Family.

The last photograph ever taken by Edis was of her close friend and assistant Cyril Nunn in 1953/4. She left her estate to Cyril, including her photographs, prints, glass plate negatives and autocrhomes.

When discussing Olive's fascination for the lives of those living in the rural coastal towns of Norfolk and Suffolk, Cyril said: 'she always said she would be remembered by her pictures of them and not all the portraits of society people.'

Although she is not known as a household photographer today, Olive's legacy is coming back into the limelight. An exhibition 'Fishermen and Kings' at the Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery opened in 2017, assembling her vast collection of photographic portraits.