Portret van een Japans meisje met gitaar 1857 - 1880

Woodbury & Page, a photography studio, made this portrait of a young Japanese woman, we think in the late 19th century. This image invites us to consider the social role of photography, especially in cross-cultural contexts. The woman's traditional attire, including a kimono and what appears to be a shamisen – a three-stringed instrument often associated with Japanese folk music – positions her within a specific cultural framework. But we should consider this image in light of the history of colonial photography. Japan at this time was rapidly modernizing and opening up to Western influence. How might the photographer, likely a Westerner, have framed this image for an audience back home? Was it intended as an exotic representation of a 'traditional' Japan, or did it reflect a genuine attempt at cross-cultural understanding? Further research into the archives of Woodbury & Page, as well as contemporary accounts of Westerners in Japan, might shed light on the image's original intent and reception.