Object size: 30.0 x 46.0 x 2.5 cm
These two photographic albums are by Felice Beato, one of the most important photographers of Asia of the 19th century. He set the benchmark in terms of photographic standards in Burma as well as popular general themes. Beato (c. 1834-1906) was born in Corfu (Greece) and a photographer and merchant of British nationality. His images of the Lucknow massacre established his reputation as as a war photographer, which continued through China (1860), Japan (1864), Korea (1871), the Sudan (1885) and Burma (1886). Many of these war photos formed a sequence of dated and related images, making him a fore-runner of photojournalism and the photo story. Beato arrived in Burma in 1886, possibly attracted by news of the annexation by the British. He set up a successful photo studio in Mandalay, during which time he also took pictures of British military action during the insurgency that lasted the following decade. He proceeded to produce numerous images of Burma, including architecture, genre subjects and landscapes that not only sold as popular prints but were used to illustrate travel accounts.
