Iowa-born sisters Alice Rigby (1871-1915) and Clara Rigby (1873-1953) arrived in Everett in the early 20th century. Together, they owned and operated a professional photo studio. From 1905 to 1915--a time when female-owned businesses were uncommon--the Rigby and Rigby Photo Shop successfully competed with prominent local photographers J. D. Myers and Bert Brush, as well as half a dozen smaller firms, and found a niche for themselves in a profession dominated by men.