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Early Japanese Images
This book reproduces over 140 images taken between 1853 and 1905 by the most important local and foreign photographers then working in Japan. Almost one-fourth of the images are handcolored, superb examples of a rich art form long since vanished.
Important features of Early Japanese Images include a historical overview of the years 1853-1912; the story of early Western photographers in Japan; the story of early Japanese photographers; over 100 images reproduced in original sepia tones; over 40 images reproduced as originally handcolored; and an invaluable index that for the first time identifies the photographers of over 1,200 early photographs taken in Japan.
Important features of Early Japanese Images include a historical overview of the years 1853-1912; the story of early Western photographers in Japan; the story of early Japanese photographers; over 100 images reproduced in original sepia tones; over 40 images reproduced as originally handcolored; and an invaluable index that for the first time identifies the photographers of over 1,200 early photographs taken in Japan.
- GenresNonfictionPhotographyArt
168 pages, Hardcover
First published September 15, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 26, 2020
This book has a lot of useful information about Japan in the Nineteenth and early Twentieth Century, written by Sebastian Dobson, and material concerning the beginning of photography in Japan, evidently by Terry Bennett. The material relating specifically to Japanese photography includes information about both some of the Westerners who introduced Japan to the art of photography and about Japanese photographers who began practicing around 1862. I think that this could have been more effective had images taken by specific photographers been placed with the discussions of those individuals.
But a book of photographic images must be judged largely on those images themselves. There are some wonderful pictures here. However, many of them have been reproduced with a strong yellow-orange tint, which I find odd and almost unpleasant. I recognize that the world was never really in black and white, but that was they way we are used to old photographs looking; seeing the world in black and orange is perhaps no more artificial, but it is somewhat disconcerting. This is not a sign of the images having yellowed with age, as many of the same images appear in other sources in a more traditional black and white format.
By no means are all the photographs here so tinted. Many do appear in a traditional black and white, and a number of them are shown with the hand-coloring which was so often used in early Japanese images. Some of the ones shown here are very subtly colored. None of them have the rather garish coloring that I have often seen in images of this type. (A note in the book says that red pigments in particular "in photographs and prints of the Meiji era invariably took on a particularly garish hue." The very strong reds used in many of the hand-colored photographs not infrequently soaked through to the backs of the photographs.)
Images in the book include portraits, both of individuals and of groups, landscapes, pictures of buildings and other structures, nudes, stereographs, and other subjects. The front of the dust jacket and page 89 show a "famous portrayal of a woman struggling through a 'storm.'" I have a reproduction of this that I have had for years. It has very little monetary value, but I think it is beautiful.
Likewise I own a copy of the image on page 128, of which the notes state, "this charming portrait enjoyed great popularity during the last two decades of the nineteenth century, appearing not only in tourist albums but even in travel guides to Japan." I did not know any of that when I bought the picture, I just thought it was lovely. I still do.
Other images here that I particularly like include "Two women embracing" (p. 2), "Shoemaker" (p. 27), "Dentist" (p. 80), "Firemen" (p. 84), "Girl with fan" (p. 92), "Samurai" (p. 99), "Unidentified Westerner" (p. 109), the lovely "Japanese beauty with cherry blossoms" (p. 114), "Japanese flower study" (p. 115) (I believe that this is the only actual color photograph in the book), "Ikeda Chikugo-no-kami" (p. 126), "Emperor Meiji" (p. 132), and "Empress Meiji" (p. 133).
The pictures that I most dislike are of the two hacked-up bodies of murdered men on page 123. I see no good reason for including these.
The "Notes on Selected Images" section at the back of the book is fascinating and most informative.
There is also an Appendix showing "a list of representative early images and the photogrophers who likely took them." This might well be valuable to collectors.
I will add my frequent criticism of books of this type: it needs an index. It would be very helpful to have a list saying on what pages images by each individual photographer appear.
But a book of photographic images must be judged largely on those images themselves. There are some wonderful pictures here. However, many of them have been reproduced with a strong yellow-orange tint, which I find odd and almost unpleasant. I recognize that the world was never really in black and white, but that was they way we are used to old photographs looking; seeing the world in black and orange is perhaps no more artificial, but it is somewhat disconcerting. This is not a sign of the images having yellowed with age, as many of the same images appear in other sources in a more traditional black and white format.
By no means are all the photographs here so tinted. Many do appear in a traditional black and white, and a number of them are shown with the hand-coloring which was so often used in early Japanese images. Some of the ones shown here are very subtly colored. None of them have the rather garish coloring that I have often seen in images of this type. (A note in the book says that red pigments in particular "in photographs and prints of the Meiji era invariably took on a particularly garish hue." The very strong reds used in many of the hand-colored photographs not infrequently soaked through to the backs of the photographs.)
Images in the book include portraits, both of individuals and of groups, landscapes, pictures of buildings and other structures, nudes, stereographs, and other subjects. The front of the dust jacket and page 89 show a "famous portrayal of a woman struggling through a 'storm.'" I have a reproduction of this that I have had for years. It has very little monetary value, but I think it is beautiful.
Likewise I own a copy of the image on page 128, of which the notes state, "this charming portrait enjoyed great popularity during the last two decades of the nineteenth century, appearing not only in tourist albums but even in travel guides to Japan." I did not know any of that when I bought the picture, I just thought it was lovely. I still do.
Other images here that I particularly like include "Two women embracing" (p. 2), "Shoemaker" (p. 27), "Dentist" (p. 80), "Firemen" (p. 84), "Girl with fan" (p. 92), "Samurai" (p. 99), "Unidentified Westerner" (p. 109), the lovely "Japanese beauty with cherry blossoms" (p. 114), "Japanese flower study" (p. 115) (I believe that this is the only actual color photograph in the book), "Ikeda Chikugo-no-kami" (p. 126), "Emperor Meiji" (p. 132), and "Empress Meiji" (p. 133).
The pictures that I most dislike are of the two hacked-up bodies of murdered men on page 123. I see no good reason for including these.
The "Notes on Selected Images" section at the back of the book is fascinating and most informative.
There is also an Appendix showing "a list of representative early images and the photogrophers who likely took them." This might well be valuable to collectors.
I will add my frequent criticism of books of this type: it needs an index. It would be very helpful to have a list saying on what pages images by each individual photographer appear.
August 5, 2019
Very comprehensive introduction on the different early photographers in Japan. A bit too comprehensive for the casual reader.
July 22, 2023
Skipped all intro and only read the images - Notable ones: Girl reading a novel (Kusakabe), Japanese beauty with cherry blossoms (Ogawa), Japanese flower study (Ogawa), Girl in Heavy Storm, Reclining nude (Stillfried), Two women embracing (Stillfried), Samurai (Ueno), Ikeda Chikugo-no-kami (Beato), Empress Meiji (Uchida), grooms tattooed (Beato), Tattoed man and victim (Shimooka).
February 18, 2017
This was one of the earlier books to explore early Japanese photography, and as such there are newer ones that are better (including by this author). But it can be had for a reasonable price, and is a decent introduction to the subject.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews