In my favourite Aether-Newspaper they report on the discovery of 1400 photographic prints of Japanese High Society and Every Day Life, taken during a state-run expedition to Japan (and later on to China). These prints seem to be put in a box in 1861 and remained unopened until now.
Besides my interst in Japan in general and some nice architectural details i like the quality of the prints, the scratches and the faded sepia brown.
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I googletranslated and bit.ly-ed the adressworm for you:
Wow. Finding something like this is just stunning. Thanks for sharing.
Oh wow! Very nice find!
nice!
Interesting related event: at about this time Japan contacted Abraham Lincoln to request naval aid against the Czarist Russin. Abe had to tell them we had a bit too much on his plate.
Related sidebar: Japan bought a ‘next generation’ ironclad from the United States that was originally built for the Confederacy in France.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_ironclad_K%C5%8Dtetsu
Thanks Jedburgh, wonderful information! I shall share it with my Historical friends and see which know about this. Another step: the last double turreted Civl War ironclad was in Manila Bay, towed there during the Spanish American war. Unfortunately it was destroyed by the Japanese during WWII.
*HUGE smile*
( OOC )
This is what I base Miss Hermit on. What a wonderful collection. Now you can get a feel of how she is trying is depict herself while in Babbage. Of course her backstory does lend a few interesting twists that is not completely in sync with actual history but then who really does that anyway….grin
When these were taken, Japan had spent a couple of centuries channeling all its surplus cultural energy internally. Within fifty years it had voluntarily and completely changed its national character to enthusiastically adopt change, and science – enough that it beat Russia decisively on land and on sea by 1905.
Imagine if they had moved even *faster* (or started twenty years sooner). Superimpose some Victorian technology on those images or put an airship in the sky overhead. Mmmm.
humm, ponders a moment @ the idea of True Japanese Steampunk !
Shall I try my hand at it Miss Carver?
nods nods Miss Hermit .. grins at you .. (( although you don’t you have to try too hard, as you are a natural :) mho ! ))
steampowered samurai armor?
and I think there was a videogame that came out a few years back that was essentially Japanese (or at least asian, as there might of been some chinese elements) Steampunk. I just don’t remember the title (never owned it, but had a friend that did)