Born in Okayama, Japan, Soichi Sunami (1885-1971) was a Japanese American photographer known for his collaborations with modern dancers. When he was twenty two years old, he immigrated to Seattle, Washington in 1907. It was at the Seattle Art Club where he discovered photography while studying painting. He honed in on his skills at Ella McBride’s Studio which gained Sunami access to a host of other well-known Seattle contemporaries in photography such as McBride’s husband, Wayne Albee; and fellow emigre, Frank Kunishige. He found local success in his new craft, gaining recognition for his exhibited work.

In 1921, Sunami relocated to New York to continue his studies in painting at the Art Students League while working at Nickolas Murray’s studio. Soon, he opened his own portrait studio on Fifth Avenue that led to his lifelong collaboration with dancers, including the renowned Martha Graham. Their work together garnered him wider recognition and in 1930, Sunami was given the title of official photographer for the newly-opened Museum of Modern Art by Abigail Rockefeller herself. He became a commercial photographer for other art institutions and continued to work throughout his life, even during the Japanese antagonism during WWII, until his death on November 12, 1971. His prolific body of work has been shown in multiple New York galleries as well as museums such as the Whitney Museum and more recently, the Cascadia Art Museum held a major retrospective in 2018.