THE MAN WHO LOVED GEISHA GIRLS -- A Foreign Photographer in Old Meiji-era Japan

THE MAN WHO LOVED GEISHA GIRLS -- A Foreign Photographer in Old Meiji-era Japan, a photo by Okinawa Soba on Flickr.

THE MAN WHO LOVED GEISHA... by Okinawa Soba
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THANKS TO OWINAWA SOBA whose Flickr Photostream is one of the most comprehensive photographic histories of Japan accessible to those interested in Japan.
The below text is from Okinawa Soba's photostream:

THE MAN WHO LOVED GEISHA GIRLS -- A Foreign Photographer in Old Meiji-era Japan
Herbert Ponting, seated second from the right (with thinning hair) was one of the great foreign photographers to capture the nation of Japan during the last years of the Meiji era. He visited many times during the years 1901 to 1906, and produced well over 1000 negatives from which several American stereoview publishers produced their BOXED SET TOURS of Old Japan. By 1908, his views of Japan dominated all others, and as far as foreigners go, he could rightly be called the 3-D KING OF JAPAN. (Among Japanese photographers, it was only T. ENAMI who held the same rank).

Ponting went on to publish the beautiful 1910 book IN LOTUS-LAND JAPAN, fully illustrated with half-stereoview plates, including several in color. Ponting's favorite Japanese photographer was T. ENAMI, and, like GEORGE ROSE of Australia, considered Enami's photographs as the only ones worthy enough to be included with his own offerings back home. He was also friends with the pioneering Japanese photographer and collotypist, K. OGAWA. While Ponting was resident in Japan, OGAWA published two books of Ponting's photographs -- most or all of the images being taken from stereoviews.

It was only later, after these years of photographic experience gained in Japan and around the world, that he went on to even greater fame as the expedition photographer on Robert Scott's ill-fated trip to the South Pole.

However, Ponting's personal life was far from a "Lotus-Land" of peace and harmony. This British citizen and one-time resident of America deserted his wife and young children in favor of traveling the world, feeling that domestic life hindered his expression as an "Artist". He was also a "loner" type, and did not seem to have any deep friendships or long-lasting camaraderie with other men.

However, there was one thing that he loved, and that was the GEISHA of Japan. He fawned after them, and sought their company whenever opportunity allowed. His compositions using Maiko and Geisha are many, and he photographed them with a passionate love for their presence "on the set".

For more about Herbert Ponting, search his name on the web. However, the best composite picture of his life is given in Terry Bennett's PHOTOGRAPHY IN JAPAN 1853-1912 (Tuttle, 2006) which is available from the author himself at www.old-japan.co.uk/books.html or from amazon.com.

A Flickr caption about Ponting's work with H.C. White is here : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/5059368232/in/photostr...

For more on Ponting's Japanese 3-D counterpart, see www.t-enami.org/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2360328226/in/photostream/