Kunichika: Photo Studio Portrait of Sasaki Gennosuke (SOLD)

Artist: Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900)
Title: Photograph-mimicking Portrait of of Sasaki Gennosuke (Photo Studio Shashin-sho Kyô uri dashi)
Date: 1870

Kabuki actor in the role of Sasaki Gennosuke  源之助. His portrait mimics that of a photograph. Extremely scarce. There is another photographic portrait print of the actor by Yoshiiku from 1870, from the series  Haiyu shashin kyo 俳優写真鏡 (Mirror of Photographs of Actors) in the British Museum. In that print it shows  Sawamura Tossho II in the role of Sasaki Gennosuke, in the play 'Hana ayame katami ezoshi' (花菖紀念画双紙) performed at the Morita theatre, Tokyo from the 2nd day of the 5th month of 1870 (Meiji 3).

Photography entered Japan with the westerners in the 1850s and we can see that it infiltrated popular culture in the 1860s.

Condition: Excellent impression and color. Very good condition. Backed, with some minor soiling in photograph area.
Dimensions: ôban
Signature: Kunichika hitsu

SKU: KCA116