White was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and emigrated to New Zealand with her family in 1886.[1][2] She married her husband Albert Reed in 1990[3] and had two children. From 1890 she worked with New Zealand photographer John Hanna in his studio.[2] She later established her own photographic studio in Newton, Auckland.[4] However this venture was not a success and she was forced to close her business.[1] Despite this failure she continued to take photographs up until her death.[5] After the closure of her studio she worked and volunteered as a nurse at the Auckland Mental Hospital in Avondale.[6] It was while working there that she took a series of photographs for which she is best known.[7] These photographs showcased buildings as well as staff who were typically posed in her characteristic structured group poses.[8]
She died at Waihi Hospital on 6 July 1910 from tetanus after stepping on a nail.
Mrs A. Reed, jun., of Karangahake, and well known in Whangarei, died in the Waihi hospital last week. Her death was occasioned by blood poisoning, caused by a nail piercing her foot.[9]
Auckland War Memorial Museum holds a large collection of White's photographic glass plates.[1]
