790 Dainichido Garden, Nikko c. 1880s

Editor: So, this is "790 Dainichido Garden, Nikko" by Kusakabe Kimbei. It looks like a hand-colored albumen print. The detail is amazing. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: Notice the materiality – the albumen print, a product of specific chemical processes and labor. It was hand-colored, too, blurring the lines between photography and painting. Consider the consumption: these prints were often sold as souvenirs to Western tourists. It’s a manufactured image of Japan. Editor: A manufactured image? Curator: Yes, think about it. The composition is carefully constructed, likely staged. It presents a specific, marketable view of Japanese aesthetics and culture, designed for foreign consumption. The photographer, Kimbei, was a businessman as much as an artist. Editor: That changes how I see it. I was focused on the serene beauty, but now I see the layers of production and intent.