Item 1900200805b, 25 Hand Colored Collotype Photographs

Item 1900200805b
25 Hand Colored Collotype Photographs

Cover (Cloth Covered)

Condition. Poor. Front cover present but detached at the hinge. Back cover not present/missing. Front free page has hole in center and approximate 1/3 broken from text block at the bottom. First plate missing the tissue guard, all other tissue guards present. Most plates have light to moderate foxing but only in the margins and not on the actual tipped on collotype. The text block is tight and the plates are firmly bound.

The bound folio of prints is accompanied by two rice paper items which were laid in loose behind the front free page. One appears to be a wrapper for a newspaper or flyer. The other is an illustrated sheet.

Tamamura Kazaburo (Presumed):
No title, no colophon, not dated (c1900-c1906), oblong 7 3/4 x 17 in (20 x 43 cm), cloth covered outer boards with single string tie, no inner cover or title page, free front page, pages unnumbered but 25 hand colored collotype plates. The images are tipped to plate and not printed on the plate. Each photograph has an English caption hand printed in pencil at the bottom left corner below the image. The collotypes plates are protected with tissue guards. There is no colophon.

The fourth plate in this folio "Arashiyama at Kyoto" is identical to a plate found in Characteristic Japan. Views and Characters in the Land of the Rising Sun where it is captioned "A Hot Spring Day at Asashiyama, Kyoto."

Another plate (11th plate - "Fishing Boats") in this folio is also identical to a plate found in Characteristic Japan. Views and Characters in the Land of the Rising Sun. In that book the caption reads, "The Shikoku fleet of fishing junks. The weather appears fine: but a storm is promised hence the idle appearance of the boats.)"

Across the above 2 Artistic Japan books and this folio the same general scene appears. It is basically the same scene but with slightly different perspectives and taken at different times.

I believe that this folio could be a forerunner or prototype of the soon to be published Characteristic Japan. Views and Characters in the Land of the Rising Sun book.

Book/Folio Size: 7 3/4 x 17 in (20 x 43 cm)

Plate & Image Sizes
--Image Area: 4 3/4 x 11 1/2 in (12 x 29 cm)
--Page Size: 5 1/2 x 14 1/2 in (13.5 x 37 cm)

Tamamura Kazaburo published several collotype books/bound folio during the c1900-c1906 period.
These items are characterized by the rather unsual oblong horizontal format.

Links to detailed information on this material are below:

Unnamed Bound Folio of Tipped to Plate Prints (25 plates - 7 3/4 x 17 in (20 x 43 cm))

Characteristic Japan. Views and Characters in the Land of the Rising Sun (24 plates - 7 1/2 x 16 1/2 in (19 x 42 cm))

Artistic Japan, Views in the Land of the Rising Sun (22 plates - 5 5/8 x 15 1/2 in (14.1 x 40 cm))

Artistic Japan, Views in the Land of the Rising Sun (24 plates - 5 5/8 x 14 3/4 in (14.1 x 39.7 cm))

All Plates:


Wystaria Blossoms at Kameido, Tokyo


Fujiyama from Tagonoura


Flower Show at Tokyo


Arashiyama at Kyoto


Canal at Tokyo


Hodzu Rapids at Kioto


Nikko Temple


Kiyomidzu Temple at Kioto


Tea House at Uji Near Kioto


Picnic Party at Arashiyama, Kioto


Fishing Boats


Arashiyama at Kioto


Hakone Village


Okayama Park Near Kobe


Hachiman Temple at Kamakura


Arashiyama at Kioto


Sarusawa Pond at Nara


Maiko Beach Near Kobe


Arashiyama Near Kioto


Okayama Park and Castle


Lake Hakone


Pagoda at Tokushima


Hikone Park Near Lake Biwa


Bamboo Grove at Kioto


Hikone Garden



Close-up of Hand Colored Collotype 
Image (Plate 23 - Hikone Park Near Lake Biwa)