Los 4050

Japan
Ainu villages and group portraits

Abgabe von Vorgeboten möglich

Aus dem Katalog
Fotografie des 19. – 21. Jahrhunderts (Katalog nur online verfügbar)
Auktionsdatum 4.12.2024

Photographer: Baron Raimund Stillfried-Ratenicz (1839-1911), Felice Beato (1832-1909) and unknown. Ainu villages, Hokkaido and group portraits. 1880s. 7 (some hand-colored) albumen prints. Each circa 20 x 24 cm and reverse. Some with number and title in lower corners in the negative, most mounted to board and mounted in mats.

The indigenous Ainu people originally inhabited the main Japanese island of Honshu before being gradually pushed further north. They lived as hunters, gatherers, and fishers, cultivating a unique and independent culture. By the late 19th century, the Ainu faced increasing assimilation due to political pressure from the Meiji government. Today, only a small number of Ainu remain on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, the Kuril Islands, and Sakhalin. After enduring a long history of discrimination, their language, religion, and culture were officially recognized by the Japanese government in 2008. Historical records of Ainu culture are now rare, making this collection particularly significant. Of special interest are the photographs of their small settlements and group portraits depicting them in traditional clothing. – A few prints with isolated spots, otherwise in good to very good condition.

Lit.: Luke Gartlan. A Career of Japan. Baron Raimund von Stillfried and Early Yokohama Photography. Leiden/Boston 2016, ill. p.138.