A Tourist's Album of Japan

Katherine Wolcott and her uncle, Robert Hull Fleming, compiled this photo album on their visit to Japan in 1909. Part of a larger Asian trip, the two stopped in Japan and collected photos, postcards, bookmarks, and other materials. Fleming was a graduate of the University of Vermont, and in 1929 Katherine Wolcott helped to fund the construction of the Robert Hull Fleming Museum in memory of her late uncle. This album, a memento from their trip, was part of Wolcott’s own collection. There are nearly 40 leaves of collected photographs and postcards, numbering two to three per album page. The pictures range in content, some depicting staged photos of daily life while others portray landscapes and countryside. The album itself measures approximately 11 x 14 x 4 inches and is currently housed at the Robert Hull Fleming Museum at the University of Vermont. Wolcott’s album captures a unique view of Japan at the brink of burgeoning Western influence. After defeating the Russians in the Russo Japanese War (1904-05), Japan began to cement itself as a global power, and its efforts to modernize began to attract Westerners. The images in this album depict a Japan with a strong national heritage and cultural appreciation as well as a newfound embrace of modernization and technology. Most of the pictures in the album sold commercially as a form of postcard. In the early 1900s, the Japanese populace began consuming millions of these types of commercially produced picture postcards. Eventually, the medium became so popular that it started to replace the more traditional wood block print. The citizenry sought pictures of their budding nation, wanting to hold a still image of the rapidly modernizing and changing countryside.

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Showing 11 - 20 of 54 Records

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54 1909
Miniature of Two men attired as Samurai playing Shogi
Two men attired as Samurai playing Shogi
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    • Date Created: 1909
    • Description: Judging by their hairstyles and the manner in which they are dressed, the two men are either of Samurai heritage or imitating men of such. They are playing Shogi, a Japanese board game similar in quality and manner to Chess.
    • Parent Collections: A Tourist's Album of Japan, Album of Japanese Photographs
    Miniature of People lined up to view a parade or procession
    People lined up to view a parade or procession
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      • Date Created: 1909
      • Parent Collections: A Tourist's Album of Japan, Album of Japanese Photographs
      Miniature of Woman with umbrella posing in front of a mural of Mt Fuji
      Woman with umbrella posing in front of a mural of Mt Fuji
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        • Date Created: 1909
        • Description: A women dressed in a very formal kimono, is depicted holding an umbrella in her left hand. In the background is a mural of Mt Fuji and the Japanese countryside. The woman, a symbol for Japanese urban life, stands as a stark contrast to the background of nature imagery. Her kimono is hand colored in the image, as well as the flora surrounding her.
        • Parent Collections: A Tourist's Album of Japan, Album of Japanese Photographs
        Miniature of Woman preparing her hair and clothing
        Woman preparing her hair and clothing
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          • Date Created: 1909
          • Description: There is a woman using a system of two mirrors to ensure that her hair is done properly. She appears to be in her own room. Clothing, as well as a dresser and other assorted items fill the room.
          • Parent Collections: A Tourist's Album of Japan, Album of Japanese Photographs
          Miniature of Two women preparing their attire
          Two women preparing their attire
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            • Date Created: 1909
            • Description: Two women posing in elegant kimono. It seems one is about to put a long shawl around the other.
            • Parent Collections: A Tourist's Album of Japan, Album of Japanese Photographs
            Miniature of Young girl playing a game
            Young girl playing a game
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              • Date Created: 1909
              • Parent Collections: A Tourist's Album of Japan, Album of Japanese Photographs
              Miniature of Rural worker with reed garment
              Rural worker with reed garment
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                • Date Created: 1909
                • Parent Collections: A Tourist's Album of Japan, Album of Japanese Photographs
                Miniature of Two men getting their hair styled
                Two men getting their hair styled
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                  • Date Created: 1909
                  • Description: A public hair styling experience.
                  • Parent Collections: A Tourist's Album of Japan, Album of Japanese Photographs
                  Miniature of Street vendor with small pipes on display
                  Street vendor with small pipes on display
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                    • Date Created: 1909
                    • Parent Collections: A Tourist's Album of Japan, Album of Japanese Photographs
                    Miniature of Four women preparing a meal
                    Four women preparing a meal
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                      • Date Created: 1909
                      • Description: The four women are engaged in various tasks. The woman on the farthest left is grinding something within her bowl, while the woman to her right is dicing a radish. The two women on the right are tending a fire.
                      • Parent Collections: A Tourist's Album of Japan, Album of Japanese Photographs