Daimyo Shimazu Nariakira – The First Successful Japanese Photograph (1857)
Japan was introduced to photography by Dutch merchants who generally traded in Nagasaki Bay. Eventually, a photography book titled Sensei-Kikijutsu would soon be published and released in 1854 by Kawamoto Komin. However, three years later, this said daguerreotype of Shimazu Nariakira was released and officially the first Japanese photo to be taken. Shimazu was born in 1809 and died in 1858. Nariakira was said to be a Japanese feudal lord, more popularly known as daimyo, of the Satsuma fiefdom. Historical records note that Shimazu adopted a lot of the Western military techniques, which he incorporated in his territory, making Satsuma one of the most powerful fiefdoms in that country. This power also helped him and his fiefdom to overpower the Tokugawa state and later establish a new imperial central government in 1868.
Daimyo Shimazu Nariakira
Queen Victoria (1857)
Queen Victoria was born in 1819. According to Royal.uk, she was one of the most instrumental figures responsible for Great Britain’s growth, economic progress, and empire’s overall strength. After she died in 1901, historians believed the empire she left was one that the sun never set on. This particular photo was first linked to J. Mayall but was later produced by Leonida Caldesi in April 1857. In the years that followed, Caldesi would also produce photos of other members of the family.
Queen Victoria
