Kersenbloesem before 1897

Kazumasa Ogawa made this photograph, titled 'Kersenbloesem', using the collotype process. This early photographic printing method yields rich, continuous tones. Notice the delicate blush of the cherry blossoms. The collotype technique begins with a glass plate coated in light-sensitive gelatin. This is exposed to a negative, hardened, and then inked. The gelatin's texture influences how ink adheres, creating subtle tonal variations. It's a labor-intensive process, requiring great skill to achieve such detail. In Ogawa’s time, photography was both an art and a science, and collotype was seen as a bridge between the two. The process allowed for a level of artistic control not found in purely mechanical reproduction. Ogawa’s work invites us to appreciate the artistry inherent in photographic reproduction, blurring the lines between craft, design, and fine art.