Japanese Flowers: Postcards

These 12 images are from 'Some Japanese Flowers (1896)', where Ogawa Kazumasa combines his mastery of photography, collotype and hand colouring to highlight typically Japanese flowers, his passion. The 38 flower portraits in the book reconnect with hanakotoba (language of flowers): the lotus represents purity of body and mind; the chrysanthemum the emperor and the imperial family; the peony courage; the iris virility, health and protection_ Ogawa also draws inspiration, for the watercolours, from the work of Kusakabe Kinbei (1841-1934), photographer (and colourist) of life in Japan.