Group of the bishop with Japanese and English clergy and Japanese divinity students before 1899

This photograph captures a group of clergy and divinity students, likely taken in Japan, given the mix of Japanese and English figures. It’s printed in ink on paper, as part of a larger publication—a relatively straightforward reproductive technology, but one that allowed for wide distribution of images and ideas in the early 20th century. Looking closely, you can see the way the photograph is rendered, with a limited tonal range and a somewhat soft focus. This is partly due to the printing process itself. The image is a document of a specific moment in time, but also a product of the technologies and social structures that made its creation and circulation possible. Consider the labor involved in producing the paper, printing the photograph, and binding the book, and the colonial context that brought together these figures from different cultures and religious traditions. By attending to the materials and processes behind this seemingly simple image, we can gain a deeper understanding of its cultural and historical significance, and the complex relationships it embodies.