Group of Samurai, 1868
Hand-colored albumen silver print
Miami University Art Museum purchase
2019.13.7
In 1853, Felice Beato moved to Yokohama, Japan. Photographs taken by Felice Beato and others were the first photographs taken of Yokohama and Japan in general. Traveling outside of the Yokohama limits was prohibited to foreigners and limited the areas in which Beato could photograph. It is possible Beato resorted to photographing within the studio for images such as Group of Samurai. His commercial photographs focused on the daily life of the Japanese along with their style and dress. They catered to the assumptions of his audience and are described as “picturesque representations”.