Drie geisha's die muziek maken en dansen met waaiers c. 1895 - 1905

Kōzaburō Tamamura created "Drie geisha's die muziek maken en dansen met waaiers", a hand-colored albumen print, that presents a scene of three geishas in a staged setting. The composition is divided into distinct vertical bands by a screen, creating a rhythm across the image. The subdued palette and soft focus lend the photograph an ethereal quality, reminiscent of traditional Japanese prints. Tamamura uses the geishas' placement to structure our gaze: one seated with a fan, another playing music, and a third standing, perhaps dancing, in front of an ornate backdrop. These elements invite us to consider the artifice of the scene and the performance of identity. The photograph, therefore, becomes a meditation on cultural representation, its constructed nature revealed through the formal arrangement of its elements. The image encourages a re-evaluation of cultural signs and their constructed meanings.