Gezicht op Fuji vanaf de haven van Tagonoura c. 1895 - 1905

Kōzaburō Tamamura made this photograph of Mount Fuji from Tagonoura Port in the late 19th or early 20th century. This is a hand-colored albumen print, a popular photographic technique at the time. The image captures the iconic Mount Fuji in the background, while the foreground features boats docked at the port. The Meiji period in Japan, from 1868 to 1912, was a time of rapid modernization and Westernization. Photography played a crucial role in documenting and promoting these changes. As Japan opened its doors to the world, images like this one were often produced for export, catering to Western tastes for exotic and picturesque scenes. The combination of photography and hand-coloring was particularly appealing to Western audiences, who valued both the realism of photography and the artistic touch of hand-applied color. To further understand the significance of this image, you can research the history of photography in Japan and the role of Yokohama photographers like Tamamura in shaping Western perceptions of the country.