Souvenir Photography: Documenting a Foreign Culture for the Western Audience

Abstract

Photographer Felice Beato (1832-1909) was a pioneer of souvenir photography, a genre of photography that depicted foreign cultures for an unfamiliar audience. A type of photography that was popular in the 19th century, particularly in Japan, souvenir photography was created to export images of foreign cultures to people in the West. This article explores the historical implications of souvenir photography, the influence of Felice Beato on the genre, and how he represented Asian culture to people in the West. Beato’s work in Japan, China, and India allowed him to experiment with different types of photography, such as architectural, panoramic, and war photography. His photography was characterized by the use of panoramic and colorization techniques, which allowed him to capture the essence of the places he visited. His work contributed significantly to the emergence of souvenir photography as a genre, and his ability to convey the beauty of his subjects was widely recognized. Beato’s photography brought a part of Asian culture to the western population, and his images often portrayed what the westerns perceived as the exoticism of these cultures.