Largely self-taught, Horter was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania and spent much of his artistic career in New York. He found work as an illustrator and collaborated with fellow Philadelphian Joseph Pennell.
One of Horter’s largest and most impressive etchings, this scene was likely inspired by the harbors of Massachusetts, where the artist spent his summers. In the foreground of the busy docks, cargo from one of the ships is being unloaded.