Albumin print, Japan, hand-colored, Torii Gate, Suwa Shrine, Nagasaki, circa 1890

This historical photograph shows a monumental, culturally historically valuable, and rare temple view from Japan from the famous Meiji period, taken as an original albumin print mounted on cardboard. The albumin process used was the dominant photochemical technique of that era, in which egg white was used to bind the light-sensitive silver salts to the paper.

The motif documents the massive stone Torii gate of the famous Suwa Shrine in Nagasaki, which is considered the most prominent Shinto shrine of the history-rich harbor city and was originally founded in 1624. The torii traditionally marks the sacred entrance area and the transition from the profane world into the sacral sphere of the shrine complex. In the foreground, stone steps and the massive pillars of the gate can be seen, while in the background, a geisha with her child on her back, pack animals, and other individuals in traditional clothing enliven the scenery. The absolute highlight of this artwork, composed in landscape format, is the elaborate hand-coloring. Japan was the absolute world leader in this precise hand-coloring technique, used to create the impression of a lifelike color photograph.

Such highly detailed souvenir photographs were produced in the large commercial studios for the exclusive segment of well-traveled Western tourists. This spectacular cultural-historical exhibit originated in the period between 1880 and 1895. The rarity features the photograph dimensions of 26,8 x 20,1 cm mounted on a 28,1 x 21,6 cm original cardboard backing and is in good age-appropriate condition, with an even, slight toning. It shows a waviness of the cardboard due to storage, partially somewhat yellowed cardboard margins, and a slightly faded image surface, as well as the original white caption within the photo negative at the very bottom right margin: "G81. SHINTO-TEMPLE AT NAGASA."