Japanese pictorialist photography was born from the fusion between Japanese pictorial tradition and Western photographic technique. After printing, the photographs were hand-colored by professionals who had trained in painting on paper and fabric or in polychrome woodblock prints. Each photographic studio could have dozens of colorists, divided by specialization: there were those who painted eyes and lips and those who dedicated themselves to landscapes. Most of these photos were intended to be kept in albums and sold to Western tourists who, after visiting Japan, wanted a reminder of a traditional world that was disappearing due to the rapid modernization of the Meiji era (1868-1912).
