Important, Dated, Personal Photo Album of Japan with 302 photos City views, Japanese people, early Meiji era dignitaries
[Japan] A unique photo album compiled by at least one member of the France-based Swiss family named Voruz. The album has an ownership signature of Fernand Voruz (1844-1909) and is dated 1880 on the first blank page. There is a strong link between the album and the Second French Military Mission to Japan (1872-1880) as a number of images are of Japanese military students at the Toyama military school established by the French. There are impressive, large format photos of Yokohama, Yokosuka, Tokyo, Osaka, and a very scarce image of the Korean Ambassador at his Hama Goten residence. One large format photo shows a photographer using a camera with the caption stating that the photo was taken from the residence of Colonel Charles Claude Munier [Munier was the second commander of the mission]. The album is also a who's who of the key Japanese figures in the early Meiji era including CDV photographs of Eto Shinpei, Kido Takayoshi, Kuroda Kiyotaka, Soejima Taneomi, Mori Arinori, Beppu Shinsuke, Ito Hirobumi, Maebara Issei, Iwakura Tomomi, Okubo Toshimichi, Matsumoto Ryojun, Enomoto Takeaki, Shibusawa Eiichi, Fukuzawa Yukichi, Samejima Kazunori, Kawaji Toshiyoshi, Terashima Munenori and many more. There are also photos of Tokugawa Iesato as a boy, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, also Imperial Family members including Emperor Meiji and the Empress, Prince Higashi Fushimi, and Prince Kitashirakawa. A number of photos are dated 1876 and it seems most of the photos in the album were acquired from around that period. A number of photos appear to be by Usui Shuzaburo. A full list of photos is available on request.
The album has 76 leaves (photos on both sides) and measures 34 x 26.3cm.
In very good condition. The covers are very good and the binding firm. A few pages have chipping at the lower edge with some minor loss. The contrast in some photos is better than others but, overall, still a very nice album in very good condition.
p33081084
