Out for a Walk
1868
Medium
albumen print with applied color
Dimensions
image (oval): 22.5 × 16.5 cm (8 7/8 × 6 1/2 in.) sheet: 25.4 × 20.4 cm (10 × 8 1/16 in.) mount: 49.5 × 35 cm (19 1/2 × 13 3/4 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Michael and Jane Wilson
Accession Number
2012.137.79
Art Historical Context
**Out for a Walk**, a captivating 1868 albumen print applied color by Felice Beato, offers a glimpse into everyday life in Meiji-era Japan. Beato, a pioneering BritishItalian photographer renowned for his documentation of Asia during turbulent times—including the Opium and the Indian Rebellion of 1857—settled in Yokohama around 1863. There, he captured the elegance of Japanese customs amid rapid modernization following the country's opening to the West. This oval-framed image, measuring 22.5 × 16.5 cm, likely depicts figures strolling in traditional attire, evoking the serene rhythm of urban l...
About the Artist
Felice Beato
Felice Beato (c. 1832–1909), an Italian-born photographer who became a British subject through his family's residence on the British protectorate island of Corfu, emerged as one of the pioneering figures in war and travel photography. Born in Venice or Corfu to a Venetian noble family with roots in Corfu, Beato's early life remains somewhat obscure, but he acquired his first photographic lens in P...