The author is a collector of East Asian art and a journalist. He has a written a short article that may have been intended as a guide for fellow collectors. It gives the reader a very brief history of Japanese photography, followed by a few Japanese photos from his own collection and some from other collections, and finally a brief history and tips of Japanese photography collection and trade. He does very little at informing the reader on the historical and cultural influences on photography, but refers the reader at the end to sources that may give him or her just that information. There is no doubt at the intended readership, fellow collectors and those new to the field.

Richard Blight's choice of photographic plates to show in the article has to be commended. Though relatively few, they range from the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1615-1868) through the first years of the Meiji Restoration (1868-1912). They cover studio poses of geisha and samurai to the architecture to nature shots. The visual element of this article certainly covers for what it is lacking in its span of textual examination and interpretation. In fact, its nature makes the article appealing mostly to just curious readers or novice collectors in need of some little advice from a seasoned colleague. If a reader is looking to obtain some concrete information regarding Japanese photography, they need not bother reading this article.

Kevin Immonje