These tremendous photographs illustrate Japan during the Meiji Period 1868-1912. During this time period, Japan abandoned its centuries-old isolationism and began a period of industrial growth and Westernization. Prince Meiji (Mutsuhito) encouraged his people to work or study abroad and also invited Westerners to tour his country. During this era, Japanese photography began to blossom. A Greek photographer named Felice Beato went to Japan and started documenting the country's landscapes, villages, and people. When he started to delicately hand colour his black and white albumen prints, the Japanese themselves began to take an interest in his work. Soon there were numerous practitioners of the art of handcolouring albumen prints for tourists. These prints are now eminently collectable. The scenes in this album show tea houses, restaurants, temples, fishermen, rice growers, stores, a lantern maker, toy shop, basket seller, farm workers, and domestic scenes. The richly decorated album, once including ivory in its design, was meant for tourists to fill with various personally chosen commercial photos available for purchase.
