Printmaker Harry Rein was born in New York City on February 13, 1908. He studied at the Art Students League of New York City during the Works Progress Administration era, focusing on lithography. After living for a time in in Norwich, Connecticut, he moved to Pasadena, CA after being offered the position of director of the Western Serigraph Institute. He remained in Pasadena until his death on April 7, 1969.

Rein drew cartoons for The New Yorker magazine in the years leading up to his death. A muralist, he was commissioned to paint murals at Greenpoint Hospital, Brooklyn, New York, Westwood Hills Christian Church in California, First Christian Church in Whittier, California, Pasadena Child Guidance clinic, and Hollywood-Beverly Christian Church. Rein was a member of the Pasadena and Laguna Beach Artists' Associations. 

Selected exhibitions:
1938: Museum of Modern Art, NY; Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
1939: New York World's Fair, New York, NY
1946: Laguna Beach Artist's Association, CA