Photography was first introduced in Japan at the end of the Edo period in about 1860, and the pictures taken between 1860 and 1899 represent the earliest stage of Japanese photography. This database contains about 5,500 digital images of these early photographs, which include portraits, landscapes, architecture, Japanese customs, and tourist sites. The collection contains both monochrome and colored photographs, created by delicately adding color to the albumen prints. The photographs exhibit the work of both Japanese and European photographers, such as Austrian photographer Raimund Stillfried and his Japanese apprentice Kinbei Kusakabe, and Felice Beato, a British citizen. The database is browsable by geographic area of Japan, and searchable by a list of keywords and photographers, by title, and by shelf number.