Born in what is now Denmark, Moritz Thomsen (1850-1932) arrived in Seattle in 1896 to build a second flour mill for Centennial Mills (now Krusteaz Brand). A tireless industrialist, Thomsen at one time was president of 14 corporations, including the Centennial Mill Company, and the Denny-Renton Clay & Coal Company.

In this image, Thomsen is pictured here with his family in the living room of their Seattle home at 916 Terry Avenue. Thomsen's wife Marie (Nissen) Thomsen (1851-) is seated at a tea table surrounded by daughters Anna (Thomsen) Milburn (1880-1947), Ingeborg Marie (Thomsen) Macfarlane (1882-1932), Wilhelmina Thomsen (1884-1917), Theresa (Thomsen) Sundt (1886-), and son Charles Moritz Thomsen (1889-1969). The two boys seated on the floor are likely Moritz T. Milburn (1905-1982) and George Milburn (1907-), the sons of Henry and Anna Milburn. Another grandson of Moritz and Marie, Martin Moritz Thomsen Titus (1915–1991), the son of Charles Thomsen and his first wife, became a noted American writer, farmer, and Peace Corps volunteer. It seems unlikely that this third grandson of Moritz and Marie would be omitted from the portrait sitting, and since he was born in 1915, the date this image was taken is probably closer to 1914 instead of 1918 as the verso of the photograph indicates.

Handwritten on verso: Photo of entire Moritz Thomsen family. About 1918.

Caption information source: "Flour Milling in Washington, A Brief History," by Norman Reed, HistoryLink.org Essay 9474
Caption information source: The Seattle Daily Times, August 30, 1932, page 13