Hugh Henry Breckenridge has long been associated with Philadelphia. He studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from 1887 to 1892, and subsequently taught there for forty years from 1894 onward. Throughout his career he worked in several styles, ranging from impressionism to expressionism to portraiture to abstraction. However, no matter in what style he was painting he maintained an abiding fascination with color.

Breckenridge enjoyed wide acclaim throughout his lifetime. Critics and clients alike admired his work and he was a beloved teacher. He was professional member of the National Academy of Design, the Philadelphia Watercolor Club, and the American Federation of Arts, to name only a few. His paintings are part of the esteemed collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the San Francisco Museum of Art, the Delgado Museum.

In Harbor Scene, a dynamic pastel likely depicting Gloucester, Massachusetts, Breckenridge uses strokes of bright color to shape a sense of life and energy. The loose marks with which Breckenridge constructed the scene make the pastel feel light, but his palette brings a richness to the composition. The French impressionists' influence on Breckenridge is clear in Harbor Scene through its quick, lively strokes. Breckenridge was exposed to the work of the French impressionists on two separate trips to Europe, though as is evident in Harbor Scene, Breckenridge's work remained full of his individuality and personal style.