Captain James Griffiths arrived in Tacoma in 1885 from England and opened an office under the name of James Griffiths & Company as ship brokers, commission merchants, and stevedores. Over the next several years, he created many partnerships and firms including the Tacoma Steam Navigation Company where he built the first seagoing tug in Tacoma. With Griffiths, Bridges and Stetson he imported the first cargo of cement, pig iron and salt direct from Europe and with Coastwise Steamship and Barge Company he operated the first barge on the Pacific Coast transporting coal from Tacoma to San Francisco. Another venture established the N.Y.K.Line (Nippon Yusen Kaisha), the first regular steamship service between Seattle and Japan. Griffiths was a shipping pioneer on northwest waterfront for over 50 years.
In this photo, Captain Griffiths appears with his family. The image 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: Capt. James Griffith Family, 1938 Photographer's Reference Number: 16283A
