Ancient Japan, The Meiji Era, Three kimono-clad women dancing, 1890

Japan was one of the last great civilisations to encounter photography. It arrived in the archipelago in 1854, while it had already been used in France for 15 years. Despite a certain amount of reticence, it soon spread rapidly throughout Japan. The first photographers were of course from the West: Adolfo Farsari, Franz von Stielfried, Felice Beato or else Francis Hall, the correspondent of the New-York Tribune.
Hand-painted and carefully coloured, these photos were sold to foreign tourists while they were visiting Japan, and they were often gathered together in luxurious albums.
Before long, Japanese photographers began to rival their western counterparts, particular mention can be made of: Ueno Hikoma, Uchida Kuichi the Emperor’s official photographer, Shimooka Renjō, Ykoyama Matsuzaburô, or else Kusakabe Kimbei, Felice Beato’s former assistant.

Ready to be framed