French Photographer In Old Yokohama

This artwork by Utagawa Yoshikazu, titled "French Photographer in Old Yokohama," portrays an intriguing cultural intersection during the mid-19th century when Japan was opening up to Western influence. The painting is a colorful woodblock print, a popular form in Japan called ukiyo-e, which often captured the fleeting everyday scenes and trends of the time.In the image, we see a French photographer, dressed in traditional European attire of the era, including a dark coat and a top hat, which he has slightly tilted up as he operates a large, boxy camera set upon a tripod. This type of camera, representative of early photographic equipment, requires the photographer's close attention and manipulation, a detail Yoshikazu captures with careful intricacy.Beside the photographer stands a woman, likely a Frenchwoman, based on her fashion. She is wearing a layered, voluminous dress adorned with ribbons and a shawl, her hair styled up with embellishments that reflect European fashions of the time. Her posture and facial expression suggest she is perhaps directing the scene or waiting to be photographed, underlining the role of women in social and artistic settings in this era.On a small table beside them, there's a bottle and a book or a box, possibly depicting the photographer's tools or belongings, which adds a realistic touch to the scene.