JAPAN 1909 - 1954, THREE PHOTO ALBUMS

Japan: Unpublished, 1909 - 1954. Approximately 430 presumably amateur silver gelatin photographs, 6.5" x 5" and smaller, and a couple of real photo postcards housed in three commercial albums, oblong or vertical quartos measuring about 11 inches by 8 inches. The compiler is unknown but quite possibly "Takamasa" (first name) or his descendants. His photograph is the first image in the album we have identified as album A. The photos are dated as early as 1909 and as late as 1954 with most from the mid twenties to late thirties. Many of the images include manuscript and occasionally rubber-stamped or printed annotations in Japanese on the versos An eight page English translation accompanies the archive.

Albums rubbed (one flaking with joints beginning to split), certainly Good or better. The images show occasional creasing, silver mirroring, & fading but are generally Very Good.

An impressive archive documenting life in Japan between the wars. Particularly interesting are several images depicting a banquet (with Geisha) and other events at a convention of the Japan Brewing Equipment Merchant's Association in November, 1926. Other images depict the building of the Sankyo Corporation on the day of the Great Kanto Earthquake, scenes along the Tama River in Western Tokyo, and various views of Temples, Shrines, Hot Springs, etc. The accompanying translation is categorized by album (A, B, & C), with photos identified by numbers which correspond to added post-it slips In addition to providing versions in English of the annotations, the photos are described as to place, etc when known.