Photography in Japan was introduced in the mid-19th century when the nation was opened to western trade and visitors for the first time in centuries. And soon after, when the Meiji period started, new technologies and inventions were introduced, making the latter half of the 19th century a period of rapid change. The identity of the photographer behind these hand-colored albumen prints of Japan in the 1890s is uncertain. The photos are drawn from an album held by the New York Public Library and range from posed studio tableau of domestic life to majestic landscapes of the island nation’s natural beauty. Also, check the End of the Meiji period.
