Painter Mark Tobey (1890-1976) was one of the defining artists of the "Northwest School," an art movement which combined natural elements of the Puget Sound area with traditional Asian aesthetics to create a novel and distinct regional style.

The theme of Seattle's Fine Arts Society 1928 Mardi Gras Ball was the Year 2000 A.D. -- a mechanical age where angles would replace curves and thin, colored buildings would rise to dizzying heights. Here, artists Mark Tobey and Olaf Anderson put finishing touches on decorative panels for the ball, to be held at The Olympic Hotel on February 21, 1928.

Caption information source: The Seattle Times, February 22, 192
Caption information also derived from captions written by Post-Intelligencer staff and attached to the back of the photograph.