In 1903, Reverend Mother Francesca Xaviera Cabrini, founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, arrived in Seattle. She was sent by the Pope Leo XII to help poor Italians immigrants settling on the continent. On Beacon Hill, a working-class Italian neighborhood, she set up the Sacred Heart Orphanage and a church. Due to Seattle's regrading, the orphanage moved to Laurelhurst. The Junior League of Seattle were among the many volunteers at the orphanage.

This photo of Junior League member visiting the orphanage is part of a collection from McBride and Anderson photographers. Born in 1863, Ella McBride began working in the photography field in 1909 when she managed the Edward Curtis Studio. She opened her own studio in 1917 with Wayne Albee. Albee moved to San Diego in 1925, and McBride continued to operate a studio in various Seattle locations. In 1932 she partnered with Richard Anderson; they continued to work together until she retired in 1954 due to her failing eyesight. She died in 1965 at the age of 102.

Handwritten on sleeve: Jr. League, Sacred Heart Orphanage, 1938
Photographer's Reference Number: 16484