Gezicht op zee vanuit Tokyo Possibly 1861 - 1863

Curator: Let's discuss this striking gelatin silver print, "View of the Sea from Tokyo," possibly taken between 1861 and 1863 by Antoine Julien Nicolas Fauchery. It presents a cityscape that truly feels suspended between water and sky. Editor: It gives the impression of looking through a hazy window onto another world. I am interested in how the density of the dark foreground of rooftops contrast with the near-white tonality of the open sky and sea. Curator: The context of its creation during the late Edo period in Japan, just before the Meiji Restoration, is key. This work exists in a space both of "opening" and resistance. Its photographer and creation exist as traces of an expanding Western gaze onto this space. How might this have felt to its early audiences? Editor: I'm particularly struck by the material reality of the image itself – the tangible grain of the gelatin silver print and, interestingly, its presentation as a stereograph. Viewing in stereoscope would add dimension to those distant islands, a tangible viewing of place via industrial innovation. Did Fauchery sell the photographs on glass or paper? Was there hand coloring? This also speaks to consumerism within a limited and elite market at that time. Curator: Good point, though focusing purely on a Western materialistic analysis almost ignores the subjects present, namely the homes below and implied community within it. What meaning would have been extracted from this by a citizen of Tokyo then and now? What histories or futures do they project onto this scene of familiar landmarks? Editor: I would contend, though, that understanding the print's materiality is essential to grasping its social impact, and for contextualizing Western perception and trade, along with orientalism, at the time. Also consider the labor: from the tradespeople creating the photograph and apparatuses to the possible builders crafting and using the local architecture in this image, it connects it to labor. Curator: That’s valid. Seeing the piece then also asks us to consider both its making and consumption as it embodies so much intersectionality on identity and culture. Thank you, these points provided insight that added more historical context. Editor: Certainly. Looking at its manufacture alongside social and economic contexts offers a fresh lens.