Curtis Studio Arctic Club portrait photographs, approximately 1917

Between 1897-1906, 75,000 people moved into Alaska and the Yukon Territory, many of whom started their trips in Seattle. The Alaska Club was organized as a networking community for those who did business in the burgeoning territory. It was founded in the late 1890s to provide a common meeting space and information bureau for Alaskans and those associated with the territory.

The Arctic Club was founded in 1907, largely through the efforts of E.A. Von Hasslocker and A.D. Coulter. The new club was designed to represent a broader swath of those affiliated with the new territories, and as a gathering place for Northwest business leaders and government officials. In 1908, the Arctic Club and Alaska Club merged and combined beneath the Arctic Club’s title in an effort to promote the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition.

In 1917, the Arctic Club further established their prominence in Seattle with the construction of the ornate Arctic Building. Designed by local architect A. Warren Gould, the eight story Arctic Building was lavishly decorated with hand carved teakwood furnishings, oriental rugs, and marble and hardwood flooring. Amenities contained in the new building included lounges with billiards and pool, conference rooms, a barber shop, masseurs, volleyball and handball courts, and sleeping rooms for members and their guests.

When processing the collection, five images were discovered to be missing. It is not clear whether these images were ever part of the collection. The names of the missing portraits came from a list that may have been created at the time of the collection.