Interior of an iron mill with large cauldron suspended above tracks. An array of sparks falls at the base of the cauldron and steam billows from more machinery behind.

Harry K. Shigeta was born on July 5, 1887 in Ueda, Japan, and came to live in Seattle, Washington at the age of 16. He later spent time in Minneapolis, Los Angelas, and Chicago where he worked in several portrait photography studios. In 1930 he partnered with fellow photographer George Wright to open Shigeta-Wright Studio and became known for his modern and somewhat industrial photographs. (Christian A. Peterson, Sotheby's, 2021)