Daimyo Shimazu Nariakira, The Subject Of The Earliest Surviving Japanese Photograph (1857)
Dutch traders brought photography to Japan through their business interests in Nagasaki Bay. Ensei-Kikijutsu was published in 1854 by the initial Japanese author to write on the subject of photography by Kawamoto Komin. This daguerreotype of Shimazu Nariakira (1809 – 1858) came about three years following this publication, becoming the supposedly initial completed picture from Japan. The “daimyo” Nariakira was a member of the Satsuma fiefdom as a feudal lord. Britannica recalls how his “adoption of Western military techniques and armaments helped make Satsuma the strongest fiefs in this country and put the han in a role to play a leading role the overthrow of the Tokugawa state and the establishment of a new imperial central government in 1868.”
Daimyo Shimazu Nariakira The Subject Of The Earliest Surviving Japanese Photograph
Queen Victoria (1857)
Queen Victoria (1819 – 1901) led England into its industrial supremacy in Europe, boosted its economy, and greatly expanded its imperial reach. Upon passing, she had virtually conquered much of the planet. This photograph was once wrongly thought to have been taken by J. Mayall, truly being captured by Leonida Caldesi throughout April 1857. Caldesi would go on to capture plenty of Royals’ likenesses.
Queen Victoria
