Biographical information provided by Stefanie Lash, Archives New Zealand, for the He Tohu exhibition:
Florence Emily Baird was born in 1870 in Naseby, Central Otago. On her marriage to Harry Shrimpton, an accountant, in 1891, the Otago Daily Times wrote a long description of a society wedding. To demonstrate a snippet: 'Quite a crowd of spectators were in the church, and the bride looked charming, wearing a lovely gown of white Liberty silk, the skirt made with long train, the front being edged with pleats. The bodice was made with Medici collar and high sleeves, the front arranged with pretty folds, and the edge of the bodice finished with soft white chiffon frills. The long bridal veil and wreath, with an exquisite posy, completed the bride's attire.'
Details of the rest of Florence’s life are not so well-recorded in public sources; she and Harry had five daughters and one son between 1893 and 1907, and lived first in Walker St in Dunedin (now Carroll St) and later in Caversham. Florence was widowed in 1908, and continued to live at her house at 3 McMillan St until moving in with one of her unmarried daughters in the 1920s. She died in 1952.
