Photo Album with 61 photos by Felice Beato Unique, personal album given to Gustav Kinder by Carl Julius Textor
[Japan] Unique, dated album containing 61 photographs by Felice Beato (1832-1909). 30 photos are of various people, and 31 are photographs of watercolour scenes painted by Beato's good friend, Charles Wirgman (1832-1891). On the front flyleaf there is a handwritten message reading, 'Gustav Kinder und Frau als Geschenk von Herrn Textor 1866' [To Gustav Kinder and wife as a gift from Mr. Textor 1866]. The album contains a wonderful composite photo of 48 Western residents of Yokohama and the very important photo of Westerners at a picnic on Nezumijima (Rat Island) in Nagasaki that was known to have been taken in 1865. There is also a photo of the officers of the Dutch warship "Medusa" including her captain François de Casembroot (1817-1895) and the final photo is of a painting showing the arrival of the Swiss Mission in Tokyo (Yedo) on May 28, 1863 aboard the "Medusa" (this appears to be the only photo of art in the album that was not by Wirgman). A state treaty between Switzerland and Japan was signed on February 6, 1864 at the Dutch embassy in Tokyo. Although Beato lost a large part of his photographic work in a huge fire in November 1866 that largely destroyed Yokohama, it seems unlikely that this album was put together after the fire but prior to the end of 1866. Having said that, it is possible that the photos of Wirgman's art helped complete Beato's reduced portfolio. Carl Julius Textor (1816-c1869) was sent to Japan to help send back plants and seeds to the Netherlands with Philipp on Siebold (1796-1866). Textor, together with Dirk de Graeff van Polsbroek (1833-1916), founded the trading company Textor & Co. in Dejima in 1858. The recipient of the gift, Mr. Kinder, was a Dresden-born businessman, who was later active as a consul for Denmark and other countries in Dutch East Indies. Interestingly, photographer Raimund von Stillfried first worked for Textor & Co. in around 1864 before moving to Yokohama in 1869.
Various sizes between 17 x 13cm and 23 x 19cm. Album itself 32 x 35cm.
Most photos with minor fading at edges, some with surface scuff/scratch marks, otherwise in good to very good condition. Mounted to boards (slightly wavy, some soiling at front and back of album), most with letterpress title caption label below the image on the mount, bound in European canvas album (spine covering missing, edges frayed).
nb33030018
