The Bemis Bag Company was founded in St. Louis, Missouri in 1858. By the early 20th century, the company operated eight bag factories in various parts of the United States, including Seattle, making burlap and cotton bags for grain, flour, feed and many other products. The company is still in the packaging business as of 2025.

The Bemis Bag Company factory in Seattle was located in an industrial area just south of the downtown business district. The man on the right in this photo is Carl Henry Moen. The man on the left appears to be working with a printing plate which will be used to mark the cloth bags.

Carl Henry Moen was born in Seattle in 1892 to Norwegian immigrant parents and settled in Ballard when Carl was nine. He was an avid photographer who often took photos of his family and friends, showing scenes of life in Ballard and Seattle in hte early 20th century. He briefly worked at Bemis, as shown in this photo.