Biographical information provided by Raewyn Vogel for the He Tohu exhibition:
In 1893 there were two women who went by Mrs Osten living in Dunedin. One was Emma Augusta Louisa Osten (née Kropka) and the other was her daughter-in-law, Jane McHard Osten (née Smith). It seems likely that this signature belongs to Emma as although she does not list an address against her name the names surrounding her all say Opoho which is where she resided with her husband Edward. (Also, Jane did not marry her husband, Bruno Osten, until August 1893, which was probably after the signature would have been gathered.)
Emma was born in 1847 in Stettin, Germany and immigrated to New Zealand at age 26, with Edward and their 2 young sons, Bruno (the son that Jane married) and Richard. They had a further 7 children in New Zealand. The family were quite musical and sang, played cello, trombone and violin at local gatherings.
Edward worked at Andersons Bay Cemetery in Dunedin and was injured in an explosion in a work shed where dynamite, gunpowder and detonators were stored. He sued the City Corporation. However, evidence suggested that he was largely to blame and his claim failed.
Additional information contributed by Katherine Blakeley:
Edward and Emma with their two sons emigrated to New Zealand in 1872 on the Palmerston.
Emma died in Dunedin on 10 February 1914 and Edward died in 1920 – they are buried together in the Andersons Bay Cemetery.
Sources
DCC Cemetery Records http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/facilities/cemeteries/cemeteries-search
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org