Old Japan, online
Now, you can sample life in late 19th-century Japan, by cruising online. “Early Photography of Japan,” a virtual collection of more than 2,000 images from three Harvard University libraries, documents the early history of Japanese commercial photography, and reflects the Western image of traditional Japanese culture before the modernization that occurred during the Meiji period (1868-1912). The collection features hand-colored works by pioneering photographers, such as Felice Beato, Baron Raimund von Stillfried, Tamamura Kozaburo, Kusakabe Kimbei, and Ogawa Kazumasa. Following the resignation of the last shogun, the Japanese emperor proclaimed a new era of Meiji (enlightened rule), and Japan transformed from a feudal society to an industrial and military power. Travel restrictions eased, and photographs became popular with foreign tourists hoping to preserve their experiences of Japan and to document a fading culture. A fascination with Japan, or “Japonism,” was especially prominent in the Boston area. Local Japonists such as Charles Longfellow, William Sturgis...