Original silver print. 17.8x16.3 cm. (7x6½"), laid in loose to corner mounts, in matting.

Photograph of two looming ships at dock. William F. “Bill” Simpson was an associate member of the prestigious group of photographic artists known as f64. He lived in Alameda and worked as a cartoonist and photographer for the Oakland Tribune in 1930s and 40s. His photographs encompass a wide range of Bay area and Northern California subjects including the Oakland waterfront, bridge building, street characters, neighborhoods backyards, Sierra snow scenes, and many more. His wife was the watercolor artist Anita Simpson who was a native of Berkeley and a graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute. Simpson was a member of several Bay area yacht clubs and was an avid racer. He is known to have contributed photographs to Camera Craft. His work is known today primarily from work included in and published as part of the exhibit and book entitled Capturing Light: Masterpieces of California Photography, 1850 to the Present, presented by the Oakland Museum in 2001.