THE YOKOHAMA SCHOOL

Photography found its way to Japan in the second half of the 19th century, toward the close of the Edo period and the beginning of the Meiji era, during which the new technology of cameras and film development mingled with the traditional skills of local Japanese painters. These artists were able to color photographic prints by hand, meticulously applying paint to the tiniest of surfaces in order to accurately convey the richness of the environments they captured. The results of this highly disciplined practice were exquisite hand-colored albumen prints virtually indistinguishable from actual color photography.