Search

This article offers a case study of the process that shaped popular understanding of photographic practice, technology and images in early Meiji (1868-88) Japan. Specifically, I argue that the neighbourhood of Asakusa - a space already codified as one of transformation and performance, of 'play and prayer' - lent itself to the business of photographic studios and provided a rich backdrop to the dynamic production and consumption of photographic objects that were unlike those found elsewhere in the new capital of Tokyo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...