Dark scene of a wooden rowboat resting on the shore in front of the tide. A much larger ship floats in the water behind it with a row of docked boats and buildings visible in the distance.

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 often industrial photographs. (Christian A. Peterson, Sotheby's, 2021)