[Japanese Naval Officer][Studio Portrait: Japanese Man (Tateise Onogero) Standing Holding Hat and Sword]

About this artwork

This intimate studio portrait, captured by pioneering photographer Felice Beato in 1867, depicts a man identified as Tateise Onogero—likely a naval officer—standing poised with hat in one hand and sword in the other. Beato, a British-Italian photographer renowned for his vivid documentation of Asia during turbulent times, arrived in Japan around 1863 amid the country's rapid shift from isolationism toward modernization in the late Edo period, just before the Meiji Restoration. Printed as a small albumen silver print8.7 x 5.5 cm image on a 10.5 x 6.2 cm mount) and enhanced with applied color, the work exemplifies 19th-century photographic techniques. Albumen prints, made from egg whites coated with silver salts, offered sharp detail and tonal richness, while hand-coloring added a painterly allure, bridging photography's novelty with traditional portraiture. This hybrid approach made such cartes de visite popular souvenirs for Western visitors and collectors. Cult, the image symbolizes Japan's embrace of Western military attire and naval ambitions during a transformative era, blending samurai heritage (evident in the sword) with modern uniform elements. As part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, it offers a window into cross-cultural encounters, inviting us to ponder the officer's story amid Japan's bold reinvention.