George Bancroft Cornish was born in 1876 in Galesburg, Knox County, Illinois, the son of James (1837-1920) and Esther (Ewing) (1848-1928) Cornish. He had four siblings, two sisters and two brothers. In 1888, most of the family moved to Arkansas City, Cowley County, Kansas.

Cornish was a protégé of the well-known Western American photographer William Prettyman (1858-1932). George B. Cornish inherited William Prettyman’s studio in Arkansas City, Kansas in 1905. He assisted Prettyman in making photographs of battles on the plains in Kansas and Oklahoma. He preserved the glass plates made by Prettyman, carefully storing them and making copies only when the plates broke. Cornish produced an album from the negatives produced by Prettyman titled “Oklahoma Views, by Prettyman and Cornish.”

Operated by Cornish until his death on January 3, 1946, the photographic studio was located at 125 West Fifth Avenue from 1912 until 1969. Before this location, the studio was founded on the site of the old post-office on Fifth Avenue. This forced George to relocate the entire building further down the block to 125 West Fifth Avenue in 1912. Cornish relied on his sister Alice's help in the early years of owning the studio, but she died unexpectedly in 1916. Cornish's two brothers, Harry and Arthur Cornish, were also photographers elsewhere in the Great Plains and Midwestern United States.

Cornish was an active photographer until 1937. Upon his death in 1946 he bequeathed his studio to Edith Berroth, who had been his assistant. Edith Berroth was born on January 8, 1895. She was employed as an assistant to Cornish in 1912, becoming part owner of the studio upon Cornish’s death. Berroth became proprietor of the building on May 6, 1960 when the sons of Cornish sold the studio building to her.

Berroth operated the studio until her retirement in 1969 at the age of 74. She sold the building to Michael M. Marotta on April 25, 1969. Berroth passed away on November 9, 1989 at the age of 94. Marotta served in the Army during World War II and was honorably discharged in 1945. He moved to Arkansas City after the war and became part owner in the photography studio. Marotta sold the studio building to Otis Morrow and Jean Lough in February, 1979. The building was converted into law offices shortly thereafter.