Brighton tobacconist and later postcard publisher. Deane was born at 13 Pavilion Buildings, Brighton, on December 10, 1872. His father was William Henry Deane, a jeweller's assistant (later a hotel proprietor), and his mother was Maria Deane, formerly Shoulsters. On February 12, 1900, he married Nellie Rebecca Rose Wilkins at St Luke's Church in Brighton. Four years younger than Arthur, she was the daughter of Henry Frank Wilkins, a solicitor's clerk, of 42 Queen's Park Road. On the marriage certificate, Arthur is described as a tobacconist. He did not have his own business, but helped a Mrs Jane Haffenden run her confectionery and tobacconist shop at 77 Islingword Road, which connects with Queens Park Road.

By 1902 Deane and his wife had moved to 3a Clarence Street, near Western Road, where he set up in business as a piano dealer and piano maker. At the same time, he and his wife acquired 10 Clarence Street, perhaps in order to rent out rooms. The entire area was cleared in the 1960s to make way for the Churchill Square redevelopment.

By 1905 the couple had moved to 4 Clarence Street, where they let out rooms for rent. Deane is still listed at the Clarence Street address in the 1909 Brighton Electoral Register. However, Pikes 1908 and Towner's 1908-9 Brighton Directories have entries for A. Deane, photographer, at 20a Portland Street in Hove. Whether the Hove photographer and Brighton landlord were one and the same person has not been firmly established, though it seems likely.

According to the 1911 Electoral Register Deane and his wife were still living at 4 Clarence Street, but had acquired property at 99 North Street. However, the 1911 census gives their address as 54 Clarence Square, close to their old home in Clarence Street, which other evidence suggests that they had retained. The census describes Deane as a photographer. His wife, who was running the Clarence Square property as a boarding house, had six lodgers. Arthur William Wardell, a former piano tuner turned photographer and postcard publisher, moved into 4 Clarence Street in 1913.

In 1922 Deane was living at 35 Montpelier Street and his wife is listed at this address in 1927. By 1930, however, the couple had moved to 23 Beaconsfield Road.

Deane does not seem to have published any postcards during his brief stay at Portland Street. However, by 1911 he joined with F. G. Harwood at 3a Clarence Street, helping the latter produce cards for the Brighton View Co. The partnership with Harwood does not seem to have lasted very long, and it is unclear how Deane supported himself for the next few years, more particularly during the war. After the war, he entered into a new partnership with someone called Martin, about whom little seems to be known, operating from premises at 15 Little East Street (see Kelly's 1921-22 Directory). Deane & Martin produced a number of real photographic cards of local events, such as the dedication of the Indian Chattri at Patcham in February 1921 and Princess Mary's visit to the Sussex County Hospital in Brighton in the following November. At the same time, they worked with another Brighton photographer and postcard publisher, George Wiles, trading as Deane, Martin & Wiles. One of the first fruits of this tripartite partnership was the publication of cards, initialled "D.M.W.", showing the final stages of construction of the Mystery Towers at Shoreham Harbour in late 1919 or early 1920. However, when the Chattri was dedicated, Wiles for some reason produced his own set of 7 or more cards, independently of the ones produced by Deane & Martin.

By 1922 Deane and Martin seem to have decided to work always with Wiles. The three partners issued cards of the Brighton Anglo-Catholic Congess of 1922, the Mayor of Brighton receiving Sir Harry Lauder on June 26, 1922, and Brighton's War Memorial after its unveiling by Earl Beatty on October 7, 1922. Some cards continued to be initialled D.M.W., but others were labelled in full: "Deane, Martin & Wiles". Real photographic cards of various Brighton landmarks were issued, such as the Royal Pavilion (1923 postmark noted) and the Clock Tower (initialled W.D.M). Also covered were nearby villages such as Poynings, Fulking (misspelled Faulking on one card!) and Falmer. During 1922 and 1923, the firm issued at least 36 cards of Henfield, including haymaking at Brookside Farm and the 1923 May Day celebrations on the village common (see Alan Barwick, "Postcards of Henfield", undated, Henfield History Group website). A card of Saltdean dates from before 1925 (when a row of columns was erected on the cliff top).

The photographs on Deane, Martin & Wiles cards are black and white with good definition and contrast. Typically, they have white borders and are labelled "D.M.W., Brighton". The initials are potentially ambiguous, because by 1926 Martin left the partnership and another photographer called Miller took his place (see the entry for Deane, Wiles and Millar.

Arthur Deane died at Brighton in 1947, aged 74.

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