Japan, circa 1867
by Felice Beato

This photo, taken just after the 1853 arrival of Commander Perry at Uraga Harbor marking the opening of Japan to the West, shows a country still relatively inaccessible to foreigners. Taken by the Italian photographer Felice Beato, the image beautifully captures a scene of 19th century rural life. Meticulously water-colored by hand, as color film didn’t exist, it was Beato’s vision of applying the refined skills of Japanese watercolorists to European photography that made images like this possible.