Tell a friend
about this page...

31X279:  Portrait of Ito Hirobumi

Vintage photograph in very good condition, with only minor soiling to the mount and faint foxing to some areas of the image. Itō Hirobumi (1841-1909)was a major Japanese statesman, Resident-General of Korea, and four times Prime Minister of Japan. He was assassinated by An Jung-geun, a Korean patriot. This photograph is signed by Ito himself and dated October 24th 1901. Maruki Riyo (1850–1923), the photographer, was one of Japan’s finest portrait photographers whose studio was sought out by both Japanese and foreigners alike. The astute commentator William Burton, writing in 1894, considered Maruki’s portrait work to be exceptional, with only Esaki and Suzuki (Shinichi II) mentioned as worthy competitors in this field. Maruki opened his first studio in the Uchisaiwaicho district of Tokyo in 1880, and his business continued up until the early 1920s. In 1888 he was asked to help in producing a new official photograph of the Emperor as the one then in use was ten years old.  

Price: $1100

Medium: Silver print

Mount: Original printed mount

Dimensions: 138 x 99mm

Year: 1901

Photographer: Maruki Riyo Studio

Enquire about this item 

Return to the list

We accept online payment using most major credit and debit cards via PayPal.  We also accept Cheques and International Money Orders in US Dollars or Pounds Sterling. 1. Pay using Debit or Credit Card through You can add multiple items into your ‘shopping cart’ and then pay for them all together.  You do not need to have a PayPal account to pay online through PayPal - simply supply your card details and delivery address, and we’ll handle the rest. Postage & packing: $10 Mainland UK    $20 Overseas 2. Pay by Cheque/International Money Order in US Dollars or Pounds Sterling Please make your cheque payable to Old Japan, including postage costs, and send it to us at this address with details of the item(s) you wish to buy: By Post: Old Japan PO Box 1044 Purley Surrey CR8 3ZY United Kingdom