Born in Tarrytown, New York, Rockwell Kent spent much of his early life in and around New York City, studying with some of the most prominent modern artists of his day, including William Merritt Chase, Arthur Wesley Dow, and Robert Henri. An admirer of the writings of the Transcendentalists, he loved nature and drew inspiration from the austere beauty of wilderness. He sought out isolated natural places, living at various times on Monhegan Island, Maine, and in Alaska, Tierra del Fuego, Ireland, and Greenland. This drawing dates from his sojourn to Alaska and clearly demonstrates the clean, idealized style he developed as an illustrator and printmaker.