Gezicht op Tokyo, Japan Possibly 1861 - 1863

This stereoscopic image of Tokyo was captured by Antoine Julien Nicolas Fauchery, a French photographer active in the mid-19th century. The photograph offers a panoramic view of Tokyo, or Edo as it was then known, a city undergoing rapid transformation as Japan opened to the West. This image invites us to consider the gaze of the Western photographer documenting a society on the cusp of modernization. How did the photographer frame his shot to appeal to a European audience? What details were emphasized or omitted? We see traditional Japanese architecture, but the presence of Western influence is subtle. Understanding the complex interplay between foreign influence, and internal social and political dynamics requires careful historical research into travel writing, trade statistics, and the history of Meiji-era photography. Art history shows us that meaning is contingent on the cultural and institutional context.