1.
-The prints collected from the Japanese during the time of the Globetrotters show attempts at portraying the modernization of Japan. This is contrary to the portrayal of the Japanese by the globetrotters, who repeatedly showed the Japanese as a 'behind' people.
-The females shown in the albums of the Globetrotters are overwhelmingly supposed to look like 'girls' rather than women. This might be due to the immaturity of culture that the westerners saw, but it might also be a power move; imposing the idea that their western women were more advanced and mature than the Japanese women.
-The scenes that the Globetrotters attempted to set up for their photo albums created inaccurate and fake ideas of Japan. Because they could create whatever scene they wanted with props and costumes, there needed to be no real accuracy so what came out of this was very false.
2.
This photo does a good job of showing the myth of agricultural life that the Westerners believed every Japanese person had to endure. While there is agriculture back in America, there are no rice paddies so this would be a new scene for people see. Because of this, this photo makes them very curious and interested in such a new and exciting pastime!! The actual farmers are curious about the photographer, pausing their work to look up and see the Globetrotter.
These photos are quite amusing, showing what appears to be the same two Japanese people doing 3 separate handicrafts in the same room. there is very little attempt to hide the fact that all 3 are in the same place, shown by the repeating backdrop on the right side. The Shamisen being made are just strewn in a pile, because clearly that's what an actual Shamisen maker would do. These photos perpetuate the myth of the primitive Japanese working with their hands, and its almost shameful that these actors would participate in this photo shoot.
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