Photography appeared in Japan a little later than its invention, when in the 1850s the country opened up to trade and visitors from Western countries. The restoration of the empire and the Meiji period brought many changes, including new technologies and types of production, and the life of the Japanese changed especially rapidly at the end of the XIX century.
The authorship of these hand-painted photographs of Japan in the 1890s is not known for certain. They are kept in the album of the New York Public Library. Here you can find both studio pictures with people posing, and landscapes of incredible beauty.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographerThe colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
Sleeping girls in a Japanese bed.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
Matsushima, Inland Sea of Japan.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
A kind of acrobatic dance.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
Shiraito Waterfall near Mount Fuji.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
Firefighters.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
Akasaka Quarter, Tokyo.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
A peasant.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
Takaboko Island (Papenberg) in Nagasaki Bay.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
Observation deck (bridge) in Otani, Kyoto.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
On the way to the market with sheaves of rice.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
Lunch by the roadside.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
Eating rice.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
Crypt, Shiba, Tokyo.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
Bamboo grove, Kyoto.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
The sacred cart.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
View of Fuji from Yoshiwara, Tokaido.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
Nunobiki Waterfall in Kobe.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
In the kitchen (while cooking dinner).
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
The Temple of the Bronze Horse in Nagasaki.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
Getting water from the well.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
Matsushima, Inland Sea of Japan.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
Tea field in Uzi, Yamashiro.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
Farmers plant rice sprouts.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
A young nanny.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
Grinding rice.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
The suspension bridge near Fuji.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
Waterfall, Yumoto.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
Theater Street, Yokohama.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
Miyajima, Aki.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer
Kago's stretcher.
The colors of Japan of the XIX century through the eyes of an American photographer