shows photos of Japan between the 1860s and 1930s. In 1854, Japan opened its doors to the outside world for the first time in more than 200 years. It set in motion a truly astounding transformation. As fate would have it, photography had just been invented. As the old country vanished and a new one was born, daring photographers took photos. Discover what life was like with their rare and precious photographs of old Japan.

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12/31/2026 (Thursday)

Art And Artifice: Japanese Photographs Of The Meiji Era • Sebastian Dobson, Anne Nishimura Morse, Frederic Sharf

A brief introduction to Meiji-era photographs and to the world in which they flourished. Three essays and dozens of images explore the social function of these photos, their remarkable artistry, and the personal stories of those who collected and preserved these images.

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by Tina Skinner, Mary L. Martin — Schiffer Publishing

Over 500 beautiful photographs and postcards, mostly of between 1900 and 1940, take you back to Japan’s now-extinct licensed pleasure districts.

In Geisha: Women of Japan’s Flower & Willow World, Skinner and Martin have seamlessly combined a text that is a joy to read with an outrageous large number of photographs, showing geisha as well as the different kinds of high-class prostitutes.

The historical descriptions and anecdotes bring much needed context to these photos. Explanations are, for example, given for the kimono, poses and accouterments pictured in this book and several misconceptions are addressed.

The design and lay-out are very rich and makes the photos look even more beautiful. Geisha: Women of Japan’s Flower & Willow World was clearly a work of love for Skinner and Martin. You will keep opening up this book again and again. A beauty!

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Posted by Kjeld Duits • 2008-10-08

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