Ole Matthiason Aarseth was born January 26, 1881 in Aarset, Ørsta, Møre og Romsdal, near Alesund, Norway. With his parents, Mathias and Maline Lied Aarseth,  and three siblings, Ole immigrated in 1888, settling in Sioux Agency Township, Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota.  Ole remained single, living and working on his parents’ farm.  In 1930, he was still living on the farm along with his widowed mother and his brother’s daughter.  

In addition to his work on the farm, Ole worked on township and county road crews, threshing crews,  and finally as a telephone lineman and repairman for the Echo Telephone Company. He was an expert carver of small wooden figures, especially roosters.   Ole learned his photography skills from or with his older brother Knut Aarseth.  Knut Aarseth  was operating a photography studio in the village of Echo in 1900, advertising himself as a landscape and portrait specialist.  Ole was probably Knut’s assistant/apprentice in a number of settings, including at large outdoor church events.  By 1910, Knut and his family had moved to Ward County, North Dakota.  At this time,  Ole called on his friend and neighbor, Olaf Olson,  to act as sidekick for photography outings.  At some point, a darkhouse (darkroom) shed was built on the Aarseth farm for developing and printing photographs. 

Ole died November 21, 1965.  Known for his beautiful handwriting, which became part of his photographic emblems,  his signature is reproduced on his gravestone at the Echo Cemetery, Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota.