Photograph viewer
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Photograph viewer

Details
Photograph viewer
Japanese-lacquer body with decorative bamboo, tree and bird lacuqer and gilt design, two painted-glass side panels; two viewing lenses mounted on opposite panels, one on panel signed in Japanese script Ikeda sei [Made by Ikeda], top ground-glass screen, side-mounted turning handle, internal bell, the viewer holding fifty 3¼ x 2¼ inch (85 x 55mm.) pairs of albumen prints each pair mounted back-to-back, each captioned in Japanese in the negative, one also captioned in English Fuji-Mountain looking from Kawai
Literature
Terry Bennett (1996), Early Japanese Images.
Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

The cartes-de-visite contain the following captions in Japanese text. Some are uncaptioned and one illegible and these are not listed here.
Osaka, Naniwabashi
Osaka, Dojima
Osaka, Taihoutai Kansha (Canon troop's head quarter)
Yamato, Shikizan (?)
Wakaura, Tazusjima sha (Tazushima Shrine, Wakaura)
Naniwa Shinmachi, Koyama ..
Saikyo, Seiryo-ji (Seiryo-ji Temple)
Tokyo, Mukojima Ushi Gozen-sha
Saikyo Kurotani haka (Kurotani cemetery)
Osaka, Toyokimi jinja
Tokyo, Edo bashi (Edo bridge)
Tokyo, Kudan Todai (light house in Kudan)
Oumi, Mitsui ji zenkei (Panoramic view of Mitsui temple)
Kii, Kimii dera enkei (view of Kimii Temple)
Oumi Hachiman jinja
Osaka, Shinsai bashi
Osaka, Oe bashi
Settsu, Suma cho eda matsu (Pine tree of Suma)
Okashi, Minatoguchi toro (stone lantern of Minatoguchi)
Osaka, Amida ike (Amida pond)
Ise, Karasu jinja
Nagasaki kaigan (coast of Nagasaki)
Saikyo, Yoshida jinja
Higo, Kumamoto jo (Kumamoto Castle)
Izumi,
Kumano, Hongu Yunomine
Iwashiro, Nihonmatsu seishi jo (Nihonmatsu Cotton Mill)
Osaka, Kawasaki
Saikyo, Jakuo ji
Hokkaido, Otaru shi-chu (Otaru city, Hokkaido)
Koyasan Kujaku do (Peacock Temple, Koya Mountain)
Settsu, Suma dera, Wakagi Sakura (Chree tree of Suma temple)
Kii, Negoro ji
Ise, Rokken oiwake
Yamashiro, Uji
Nara, Oufuku ji
No caption (two ladies sitting)
No caption (two girls with shami)
Saikyo, Shugaku in
Saikyo, Sanju Sangen do
Saikyo, Hongan ji
Saikyo, Kamo gawa (Kamo river, Kyoto)
Osaka, Yotsu bashi
Kai, Ohno
Tokyo, Shibayama
Kamakura, Katase soshi do (katase temple, Kamakukra)
Tokyo [?]
Shinano, Zenko ji
Settsu, Arima san (Arima Mountain)
Kawai bashi (location unkown)
No caption (two young ladies with tea ceremony)
Nikko, ?
Osaka Tenno ji Rokuji do
Nikko, Sanjin bashi (?)
Tokyo, Kanda Myojin
Osaka, Doton bori
Osaka, Isshin dera
Kobe, San no miya
Tokaido, Kambara
Kobe, Ikuta jinja
Izu, Atami
Kobe ?
Sagami, Enoshima
Nara, Kasuga jinja
Kii, Wakaura goten (Wakaura palace)
No caption (girls in festival costume)
Sanuki, Kompira jinja
Tokyo, Hosokawa ko on niwa (Lord Hosokawa's garden, Tokyo)
Koyasan, Okuno in, Ichino hashi
Awaji, Mihara Tenno sha
Tokyo, Yoshiwara Naka no machi
Kobe, Teisha jo ressha (Trains in Kobe station)
Boshu, Kintai bashi
Ise, Naigu Honden
Fushimi, Inari
Tokyo, Niju bashi
Hokkaido, Chidori Kaigan (Chidori Beach)
Saikyo, Gosho (Emperor's Palace, Kyoto)
Kimitusru and Toyotsuru
Ise, Uji bashi zenkei (The whole view of Uji bridge, Ise)
Yamato, ?
Nara, Nigatsu do
Wakanoura, Nenobori matsu ('Growing root pine', Wakanoura)
Tokyo, Shiba yori Shinagawa (Shinagawa from Shiba area, Tokyo)
Kumano san, Otonashi gawa (Otonashi river, Kumano Mountain)
Tokyo, Eitai bashi
No caption (two ladies sitting on the chair)
No caption (two ladies facing)
Yokohama, Benten bashi
Kanagawa to en (view of Kanagawa)
Nikko, Yomei mon (Yomei Gate, Nikko)
Iseyama yori Yokohama (View of Yokohama from Iseyama)

The cartes do not appear in Bennett and, at the time of writing, cannot be attributed to a particular photographer. The viewer with the photographs appears to have been assembled, perhaps to be given as a presentation piece, as the subject matter of the cartes show a wide geographical spread and variety of photographic styles. No other examples of such a lacquer viewer are known and Japanese cartes are rare in their own right.

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