Visual Materials

Views of Japan and Japanese people photograph album

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Description: Colored photographs used as advertisement for Sing Fat & Co., importers of China and Japan Fancy Goods, San Francisco. In accordion photo album.
Type: Visual Materials(Opens in new tab)
Production date: approximately 1900.
Call number: photCL 255
Provenance: Transferred from Rare Books, November 1984.
Restrictions: Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.
Rights: The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining permission rests with the researcher.

Photograph album of China, Korea, and Japan

Visual Materials

A photograph album containing 263 photographs of China, Korea, and Japan, dating from the time of the Boxer Uprising in China to the Russo-Japanese War, 1901 to 1905. The photographs are primarily unique images, along with some commercial photographs and foldout panoramas, and many have handwritten captions. The album's inside cover is inscribed: "John Rory Macey / H.M.S. Blenheim / China Station / Vol. II / Jan 1st 1901 - July 18th, 1905"; Macey was a naval engineer in the British Admiralty and most likely took some of the photographs, particularly naval-related scenes, and images of British servicemen. Photographic subjects in China include navy ships in the port of Weihaiwei, street scenes in Peking (Beijing) and other cities, Chinese residents, monuments (including the Forbidden Palace under foreign occupation), palaces, gardens, and temples. A number of photographs focus on the aftermath of the Boxer Uprising, including ruined buildings. The second portion of the album depicts scenes in Korea during the Russo-Japanese War; these include Korean people in daily activities, street scenes, commercial images of Chemulpo, and the palace grounds in Seoul. The third portion of the album contains amateur and commercial photographs of Japan, including the port cities of Maizuru and Yokohama, Japanese residents, tea ceremonies, the hot spring resort of Tonosawa, and panoramic images of the Osaka Exhibition of 1903. At the back of the album are 17 large, hand-colored photographs of Japan, including images of landscapes, street vendors, and Japanese women in genre scenes.

photCL 632

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Photograph album of a Japanese American soldier in the U.S. occupation forces in Japan

Visual Materials

A personal photo album compiled and annotated by a Japanese American serviceman who served in the U.S. occupation forces during the post-World War II occupation of Japan. The album begins with his departure from Hawaii to Japan in 1946, including one image of his old school, McKinley High School in Honolulu. In Tokyo, there are many photographs of fellow soldiers, as well as Japanese young men and women; buildings and landmarks; parks; and army buildings. Two images of a large building are described as General Douglas MacArthur's headquarters in Tokyo, and there is one image of him walking out of the building. Besides Tokyo, the soldier is seen in Kamakura and Otake, near Iwakuni, where he may have been stationed later. Of note are a few images of building destruction in Hiroshima, 1947, in the aftermath of the atomic bombing. At the back of the album are many single and group portraits of Japanese residents, possibly family members or acquaintances in Iwakuni and Otake. The album has handwritten captions in English, with occasional captions written in Japanese.

photCL 667

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T. Moriya commercial photograph album of Beijing and Tianjin after the Boxer Uprising

Visual Materials

A commercial photograph album published by T. Moriya, Yokohama, Japan, containing 50 hand-colored photographs of scenes in Beijing and Tianjin following the Boxer Uprising in China. The album has decorative lacquered covers and folds out accordion style, with commercially-made photographs mounted on both sides of the leaves. It was most likely created as a souvenir album for the international military forces of the Eight-Nation Alliance that took part in the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. All photographs have printed captions in English in the negative, and most have handwritten descriptions in French below the photographs, indicating the previous owner may have been a French officer or soldier who took part in the crisis. Images include famous sites in Beijing and Tianjin, some of which are partly ruined; group portraits of international soldiers and marines; and three images of the execution (beheading) of Chinese Boxers. One photograph shows the Catholic Church of Our Lady of Victory in Tientsin, which burned down after the Allies' bombardment in 1900, accompanied by an extensive handwritten note in French in the margin.

photCL 649

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Photograph album of Japanese American residents of California

Visual Materials

A photograph album dating from the early 1920s reflecting the life of an unidentified Japanese American family based in or near the agricultural community of Brawley, in Imperial County, California. "Brawley Bottling Works" crates are seen in an image of Japanese American farm workers, and other images include the interior of a canned goods store, agricultural workers and crops, farm trucks, and a man with plants in a greenhouse. The album contains snapshots of many different Japanese American men, women, and children, almost always dressed in fine Western clothing, seen in social gatherings in mostly rural settings, with some images of other locations. The album doesn't have any identifications, though recognizable locations in California are: the Sacramento Capitol building; the beach in Venice; a bookstore with a crate marked First Street, Los Angeles; and men posing with automobiles with license plates that say "CAL." Notable images are a group portrait of men clowning around while drinking beer, and ceremonial outdoor gatherings with American and Japanese flags flying. Photographs taken in Japan include a Christian church and school in the Tadanoumi area of Hiroshima Prefecture, and family groups with people wearing both Japanese and Western clothing.

photCL 647

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Photograph album of teenage students, possibly in Southern California, and views of a trip to Japan

Visual Materials

A photograph album of unidentified young women and men, most likely in Southern California, who appear to be school friends or family members. Snapshots show teenagers in front of a large building, in group gatherings and picnicking, as well as in several studio portraits. One portrait shows a teenage girl in a head covering, wearing a cross, possibly related to a convent or Catholic communion. A set of negatives (no prints) found inside the album depict people on a visit to Japan. Scenes include tourists visiting temples, a man riding in a rickshaw, and a woman wearing a kimono, showing ikebana.

photCL 363

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Japanese student's Caltech photograph album

Visual Materials

An album of snapshots documenting an unidentified Japanese engineering student's experiences during a study visit at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) from 1935 to 1936. The small photographs are accompanied by detailed, neatly written ink captions in Japanese, with occasional words in English. The album begins with his ship's departure from Kobe, Japan, on December 17, 1935, with stops in Yokohama and Honolulu, Hawaii, and arrival in San Francisco on January 2, 1936. The student observes that his fellow travelers (translated from Japanese) are those going with high hopes, those going with nervous anxiety, those seeking development, and lonesome people. The images and captions document buildings and professors at Caltech; details of streets, businesses and some houses in Pasadena; the garden of "Mr. Cole's" house; the Gilmore Circus Parade; Glendale; Ocean Park, and his departure from San Pedro at the end of his stay. There are two small drawings: businesses at the intersection of Lake Avenue and California Street, Pasadena; and Colorado Blvd. between Green and Cordova streets.

photCL 726

Views of Japan and Japanese people photograph album

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Photograph album of China, Korea, and Japan

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