The Port Townsend Public Library was gifted five framed photos from local nonprofit Northwind Art’s recent Curtsinger Portfolio exhibit, with all five pictures purchased and gifted to the library from an anonymous donor.

Teresa Verraes, executive director of Northwind Art, presented the donated photos to director Melody Sky Weaver of the Port Townsend Public Library on July 11.

“We are so grateful for this generous gift,” Weaver said. “These beautiful photos will hang in the library for all to enjoy.”

Bill Curtsinger — who the Northwind Art exhibit was based around — was a deep-sea photographer who pioneered his way through the vast seas of the Arctic Ocean, Antarctic depths, and other waters while working with the acclaimed National Geographic magazine. Throughout his aquatic journeys, Curtsinger captured a plethora of photographs illuminating the fascinating, strange, and sometimes dangerous wildlife that make the oceanic depths so intriguing. He now lives in Port Townsend and owns Sunrise Coffee Company near Boat Haven Marina.

A nameless altruist purchased five of Curtsinger’s iconic, framed photographs from the exhibit and specifically asked for them to be donated to the library. Each of the images was stamped, numbered, and framed by local photographer Brian Goodman and signed by Curtsinger.

Additionally, a copy of “Curtsinger: Reflections on the Life and Adventures of Photographer Bill Curtsinger” by Kenneth Brower, a 40-page book with photos and detailed analysis from Brower, was donated with the images.

“This Northwind Art donor is generous in more ways than one,” Verraes said. “This is a gift that keeps on giving because the original purchase of the portfolio to Northwind Art supports our programs, and these framed photos at the library allow Bill’s beautiful photos to be seen by our community for years to come.”