Research Guides: Early Photography in Asia: East Asia

Rare and Distinctive Collections

rad@colorado.edu

Website

Classroom: Norlin N345

Reading Room: Norlin M350B

Rare Books Librarian

Sean Babbs

Email Me

East Asian Librarian

Xiang Li

Contact:

xiang.li@colorado.edu

(303) 492-7454

Subjects: Asian Languages & Civilizations

Introduction

The University of Colorado Boulder Libraries holds a variety of original early photographs of East Asia. While only some areas in East Asia fell under full colonial control, the two largest countries, Japan and China, both existed in a reality often termed "semi-colonialism." Although local citizens set up photography studios in the late 19th century in many large cities in East Asia, many early photographs of the region come from western photographers and by the early 20th century, Japanese photographers. With that in mind, although the following photographs are important documentary evidence of life in the region, it is important to view these images with a critical eye and consider how these photographs may reinforce colonial ideologies and contribute to an “othering” of local people.

The bottom of this page includes links to other major digital libraries of original early photographs of East Asia.

The Rare Books Collection also holds published photography books about or from the region during this period. They can be found using the library catalog search and filter to a shelving location of "Rare Books Collection."

East Asian Countries - Photographs in the CU Boulder Libraries

Digitized photographs

Photograph album of Japan, China, and the Pacific, 1900
An album compiled with photographs from ship tours of Japan, China, and other locations in the Pacific Ocean. It is likely a group album, since it highlights multiple people, routes, and destinations. Locations in China include Hong Kong, Macao, Kowloon, Shanghai, and Canton.
Photograph album of a Japanese family in Manchuria, colonial Korea, and Japan, 1920-1922
A family album or collection of photographs compiled by a Japanese family who traveled in Manchuria and Korea in the years 1920-1922. Many of the photos are carefully labelled in Japanese with place names, dates and personal names. This album provides a view of Japanese (as opposed to European/American) semi-colonialism in China in the early twentieth century.
Set of 86 photographs of China by American Albert Kane in the 1930s
Albert Kane was an American who traveled to and studied China. His images offer an interesting perspective on China before World War II.

Photographs not digitized (access in the RaD reading room)

Photograph album of Singapore and Hong Kong, China by G.R. Lambert and Co. and others, c. 1885-1895
A photograph album compiled from studio photographs from Singapore and Hong Kong in the late nineteenth century. The album concludes with eleven photographs of Hong Kong, at least one of which (and likely others) taken by photographer Lai Fong.
Photograph album of East Malaysia and Shanghai, China by Clement Charles Newson, 1908-1912.
A photograph album by Clement Charles Newson of East Malaysia and Shanghai, China. The photographs in Shanghai largely show the family's residence and local buildings.
Street scenes in Beijing and the surrounding area, c. 1920-1930
A small photograph album marketed for the tourist trade in Beijing, China. The 25 images in this album all show daily life and street scenes in China, particularly in Beijing but also perhaps in the surrounding rural areas. These include funeral and wedding processions, shops, local laborers, and businesses.
Harbin and Manchuria under Japanese Occupation, 1932-1939
A set of 17 Japanese photographs, dis-bound from a photo album, taken during colonial occupation of Manchuria in the 1930s.
Shanghai album by an American soldier, 1937-38
A photograph album with 39 images compiled by Lt. Paul L. Stevens of the United States Marine Corp. The photographs in the album depict may atrocities during the Battle of Shanghai, when the Japanese military seized control of the city. 12 of the photos are captioned in Chinese in the negative.

Digitized photographs

Hand-colored Photograph Album of Japan, 1880s
A collection of hand-colored photographs of Japan, likely collected from a variety of Japanese and western photographers around the country during a tourist trip in the 1880s.
Asia and Mediterranean Photograph Album, 1875-1891
A photograph album of early images taken and collected from Asia and the Mediterranean. The early pages of the album are from Japan (p. 2-9), including unique original images from the disastrous 1891 Mino-Owari Earthquake. Other images appear to have been collected throughout tourist locations in Japan and were likely sold by Japanese photographers.
Photograph album of Japan, China, and the Pacific, 1900
An album compiled with photographs from ship tours of Japan, China, and other locations in the Pacific Ocean. It is likely a group album, since it highlights multiple people, routes, and destinations. Locations in Japan include Tokyo, Yokohama, Miyanoshita Onsen, Sugita, Kobe, Nara, and Kyoto.
An American Tourist in Japan, 1901
A two-volume photograph album of Japan taken by an American tourist in 1901, with captions in English. Images include scenes of Japanese street life and landscapes, as well as some images related to the cruise the tourists took to get to Japan.
Set of 42 photographs of Japan by American Albert Kane in the 1930s
Albert Kane was an American who traveled to and studied Japan in the 1930s.

Photographs not digitized (access in the RaD reading room)

Photograph album of Japan, the Philippines, and Washington state, c. 1908-1918
A personal photograph album likely compiled by an American family who lived in Washington state and who traveled around the Pacific Ocean in the early twentieth century. 30 images of Japan mostly highlight Nagasaki, Kobe, and Osaka.
Japanese Family Album, 1910-1930
A collection of 60 photographs from a dis-bound photograph album of a Japanese family. Images show a variety of women and children, as well as locations in Japan.
Japan Album, 1911
A photograph album with 125 images of a tourist trip to Japan in 1911, likely compiled by an English woman. The photographs depict various cities, local people, and attractions in central Japan, including Nikko, Mount Nasu, Mount Asama, Kamakura, Chuzenji Lake, etc.
Three volumes of Japanese photography, 1911
These items are not yet cataloged or digitized. Contact RaD for access.
Mountaineering in Japan Photograph Album, 1916-1923
Photographs depict expeditions to climb Fujiyama and various of the Japan Alps, with scenes along the way of people and places, ecstatic pilgrims, the Imperial bodyguard, women's groups, schoolchildren and the photographer and his many climbing companions, foreign and Japanese.

Digitized photographs

Photograph album of a Japanese family in Manchuria, colonial Korea, and Japan, 1920-1922
A family album or collection of photographs compiled by a Japanese family who traveled in Manchuria and Korea in the years 1920-1922. Many of the photos are carefully labelled in Japanese with place names, dates and personal names. This album provides a view of Japanese (as opposed to European/American) colonialism in Asia in the early twentieth century.
12 photographs of colonial Seoul, taken by American Albert Kane in the 1930s
American Albert Kane studied and wrote about China and Japan, traveling throughout both places in the 1930s. At some point, he spent time in colonial Seoul in Korea, then known as Keijo and under Japanese occupation. The images document local Korean peoples and architecture.

Other Digitized Early Photographs in East Asia

Historical Photographs of China
Over 20,000 digitized photographs of China, collected from many private and public collections throughout Europe and the US.
Sidney D. Gamble Photographs Collection (Duke University)
A digital collection of over 5000 photographs of China in the early twentieth century.
The Meiji and Taisho Eras in Photographs (The National Diet Library, Japan)
Around 1300 early photographs of Japan made by Japanese photographers and digitized from photograph albums and photo collections.
East Asia Image Collection (Lafayette College)
A large number of published photographs from Imperial Japan (1868-1945), including postcards, posters, books, etc.
Early Photography of Japan (Harvard)
A digital collection of 40 photograph albums (more than 2,000 images) with photographs of Japan in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Robert Henry Chandless Photographs of China (University of Washington)
A digital collection of over 500 early images of China at the turn of the 20th century.