William Elliott Debenham was born at 80 Whiting Street in Bury St Edmunds in 1839, one of four brothers, the children of Samuel Debenham (a confectioner) and his wife Salome. The eldest brother became a successful solicitor, but the other three, including William, all became distinguished photographers in their own right. More information about the family can be found at the Debenham family history site.

William had premises at 158 Regent Street in London for many years, also at 188 Regent Street and his home at 46 Haverstock Hill in Hampstead, known as Massingham House. He married Amanda Southwell, the youngest sibling of the Southwell Brothers, thus uniting two photographic families.

His distinguished sitters included William Ewart Gladstone, sometime Prime Minister of the UK, and (probably) Friedrich Engels, joint author of the Communist Manifesto. He died at Wimbledon in 1924.

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