Author: OGAWA Kazumasa ( Photographer ) - Shigenobu OKUMA - Waseda - Albert KAHN :
Title: Photography album containing 23 original photographs made by Kazuma Ogawa of the Waseda house of Shigenobu Okuma. With the manuscript ex-dono of Okuma to Albert Kahn.
Description: 0. Waseda, privately composed photography album with pictures of Kazumasa Ogawa, s.d. ( ca. 1900 ), oblong in-folio, 31,5 x 37,5 cm, with 9 thick board-like leaves containing 23 original photographs (6 postcard format, 17 large format, all handcoloured except 4 which show the Waseda house interiors). Half cloth binding, boards covered with japanese multi-coloured silk with chrysanthemum pattern, board edges gilt. Cloth of spine expertly renewed , the japanese silk covered boards a bit scruffy but still in good shape. The album shows overall some damage due to stocking in a damp surrounding - textile hinges are discoloured, boards shows some marginal splitting, and some very faint marginal spotting. Overall the mounted photographs are in fine condition. The photographs show the famous flower garden of Waseda (the Kankikukai - Chrysanthemum viewing festival) and also an overall view of the house and 4 interior views. One intriging picture shows a very formal setting of persons at different garden tables, all hatted japanese, but for one unhatted westerner sitting opposite Okuma . ( One of the black/white interior views is reproduced in colour in ''A model Japanese Villa '' by Ogawa). This enables us to identify the photographer. Unique photography album linking , at the beginning of the 20th c. , one of the pinnacles of Japanese culture with one of the greatest figures in the development of Western documentary photography ; '' Albert Kahn''. On the first fly leaf is written '' Monsieur Albert Kahn - Le Comte Okuma ''. This handwritten ex-dono leads us to the supposition that this very album was given by Okuma to Kahn on his visit to Waseda in 1908. The handwriting is most probably not in the hand of Okuma but from one of his secretaries (his handwritings are notoriously rare - see Waseda-University webside - S. Okuma ; a short biography). We have no reason to doubt the authenticity of the handwriting and are confident that somewhere there must exist similar albums with ex-dono as Okuma in the single year 1912 is known to have welcomed 23,963 guests in his house. (idem - a short biography). .

Keywords: