Portrait of a samurai

Photography was an expensive and difficult process until well into the 19th century, and therefore usually left to professionals. This portrait of a samurai was clearly made in the studio of a professional photographer. It has been attributed to Ueno Hikoma, who opened a studio in Nagasaki in 1862. Antoon Bauduin’s predecessor, Pompe van Meerdervoort, is thought to have helped train Ueno in photography.