清水スヤ子（岐阜）

About this photo

Behind her, a picture like tree leaves or clouds spreads out faintly. It appears to be a photo studio backdrop. Her kimono has thin vertical stripes, and her obi is a light color. A cord with a tassel hangs at her side, and her hands rest lightly together in front of her. It appears in Nihon Bijincho (Album of Japanese Beauties, 1908), which gathered photos of women from across the country. Her name and the word "Gifu" are printed below the photo.

With wet-plate photography, the glass plate had to be wetted, and the picture taken and developed before it dried. In 1871 the British doctor Maddox invented the dry plate, a glass plate coated with a light-sensitive chemical. Dry plates could be bought in boxes and developed whenever you liked, and they quickly replaced wet plates.

Dry plates were also several times more sensitive than wet plates, which led to cameras that could be held in the hand and shutters that opened for just an instant. In Japan, wet plates are thought to have been used until about the middle of the Meiji era.

Glossary