DAVID Guy was never very interested in history, or in tracing his family roots. Not until his daughter, Carol, was leafing through an old family postcard album, that is and found that some of them had been painted by a T Guy.

Who was he? she asked. And would any of his paintings be held at York Art Gallery?

To his shame, David had no idea. But he told Carol he thought it was pretty unlikely the art gallery would have any paintings by this man who shared his surname.

How wrong he was.

The gallery actually had six paintings by T Guy who turned out to be David's great great uncle, Tom GuyTom Guy’s painting of. David, a retired solicitor’s cashier who lives in Heslington, teamed up with Carol to do a bit more digging.

With the help of the York Family History Society, they discovered that Tom was born in 1847 in Layerthorpe, that his father ran a drapery business in Colliergate, and that after trying his hand briefly at drapery the young Tom took up an apprenticeship at York Glassworks in Stonegate.

In 1870 he set up in business himself as a glass writer and medicine labeller in Clarence Street. He then became an oil and colour merchant, and in 1884 set up as an artist’s colourman and teacher of drawing and painting in Stonegate. He had found his calling.

According to an ‘artist profile’, David managed to uncover which was published in Picture Postcard Monthly in 1996, Tom was a landscape artist who specialised in painting interesting buildings and scenes in York though he did go farther afield, too, in North Yorkshire.

Just before the turn of the century, ETW Dennis of Scarborough were able to reproduce his paintings as postcards. “He was one of the first artists to take advantage of this process,” David says.

“Forty-seven postcards are known to date.”

David has amassed an impressive collection of his great great uncle’s work, a few examples of which are reproduced here today.

The photograph shows Tom Guy at work, presumably in his studio.

David believes this photograph was probably taken some time around the turn of the century. The painting on the easel is a version of the painting in one of the postcards we reproduce, which shows Minster Gates.

Other images today show a wash drawing of York Minster seen from the River Foss and a postcard of boating at Lendal Tower.

His ancestor was a highly prolific artist, David says so it may well be that somebody in York has paintings or postcards by T Guy gathering dust somewhere in their attic.

If you do, he would love to hear from you. And just one final word. David was a late convert to family history.

Now in his mid-seventies, he wishes he had take it up much earlier, when he could have asked his own father questions about his family.

“So ask questions of your older relatives now, while you've got the chance,” he said. “Even if you're not really interested now, you may be one day!”

• If you have any paintings or postcards by T Guy and would like to get in touch with David, call Stephen Lewis at The Press on 01904 653051 ext 336.