Annie May (May) Moore (1881–1931) was born on a small farm north of Auckland and studied painting at the Elam School of Art and Design. Upon graduating she made a living through the sale of her pencil sketches. Moore moved to Wellington in 1908 where she rented a space next to a photographic studio and became known for her oil paintings of prominent people and their families. She soon purchased the next-door photographic studio with her sister, Mina Moore (1882–1957) who had some photographic training, and the pair quickly established a successful photographic portrait business. They were especially known for their close-up head and shoulder portraits and use of dramatic side lighting. During a trip to Australia in around 1910, Moore set up a studio in Sydney where she continued to work until her death in 1931. Mina Moore followed her sister to Australia in 1913, basing her studio in Melbourne until she retired in 1918.

2023