Photography for everyone : the cultural lives of cameras and consumers in early twentieth-century Japan /

Ross, Kerry,

Photography for everyone : the cultural lives of cameras and consumers in early twentieth-century Japan / Kerry Ross. - 232 pages : illustrations

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The Japanese passion for photography is almost a cliché, but how did it begin? Although Japanese art photography has been widely studied this book is the first to demonstrate how photography became an everyday activity. Japan's enthusiasm for photography emerged alongside a retail and consumer revolution that marketed products and activities that fit into a modern, tasteful, middle-class lifestyle. Kerry Ross examines the magazines and merchandise promoted to ordinary Japanese people in the early 20th century that allowed Japanese consumers to participate in that lifestyle, and gave them a powerful tool to define its contours. Each chapter discusses a different facet of this phenomenon, from the revolution in retail camera shops, to the blizzard of socially constructive how-to manuals, and to the vocabulary of popular aesthetics that developed from enthusiasts sharing photos.

Specialized.

9780804795647 (pbk.) : £16.99


Photography--Social aspects--History--Japan--20th century.
Photography.
Photography.


Japan--Social life and customs--1912-1945.

770.9'52'09041