Japanse man en vrouw spinnen garen c. 1890 - 1895

Kazumasa Ogawa made this photograph, depicting a Japanese man and woman spinning yarn. Here, we see a slice of everyday life carefully staged in black and white. The focus is on the material: cotton. Raw cotton sits piled in baskets, ready to be transformed through labor. The tools are simple – a spinning wheel, hand cards – but the process is laborious. Notice the woman’s hands, blurred, suggesting the dexterity and speed required. This image captures a moment in Japan's industrialization. The Meiji government promoted traditional crafts like textiles to generate income and exports. This photograph thus freezes the act of creation, while also hinting at the wider social issues of labor, tradition, and economic change. This image invites us to appreciate the significance of materials, making, and context in understanding the full meaning of an artwork, challenging traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.