[Douglas_of_Sweden]

Something less serious perhaps?

Takuma Kajiwara with friends in the bar of the St Louis Artist Guild, published in St Louis Post Dispatch on December 25, 1910.


Merry X-mas all of you!

[Douglas_of_Sweden]

The image may warrant some explanation. On X-mas day December 25 in 1910, the St Louis Post Dispatch (a journal published in St Louis from 1874) published a rather long article about the St Louis Artists Guild during the year that had passed. Most of it is gossip about people who's names are unfamiliar to me. The only direct reference to Mr. Kajiwara is in a passage where they list and briefly describes prominent members "...There George Julian Zoinay, the sculptor, smokes cigars at peace with the world. There Frederick O. Sylvester, whose great paintings of the Missisipi River have made the Noonday Club one of the show pieces of St. Louis, surmounts his coffee with his wistful eyes. There Takuma Kajiwara, the photographer, graces the feast with his Nippon manners. There Miss. Sarah Tensdale, the poetress, sits by virtus of youthful genius...".

By this time Takuma had lived 7 years in St Louis and he was 31 years old. In interviews he later describe his younger version as has having long hair, large mustaches (described as Prince Albert's mustache or enormous handlebar mustaches), silk hats, nose pincers and smoking a lot of cigars. "His idea as, as he puts it, was to make himself look like he knew something. As success came, he trimmed his hair and his mustache." (St Louis Post-Dispatch, Feb. 12, 1936). That sounds like the way someone presents him in this caricature picture. A young artist who tries very hard to be the image of an artist in the beginning of the 20th century. If not an artist living in Paris, at least looking like one. The thing is, this caricature of Takuma Kajiwara is the only picture of him that I have been able to find from this relatively young age. All other portraits of him are of a middle aged or elderly gentleman with "trimmed hair and mustache".

The 1910 article about the Artist's guild also describe how they were visited by the (in)famous anarchist Emma Goldberg who gave a lecture at the guild. It is probably in connection to that visit that Takuma shot her portrait, pictures which became the most spread portraits of her, sometimes cropped so it lost Takuma's original composition, and usually without referring to him as the photographer. This portrait has been posted earlier in this thread.

[Douglas_of_Sweden]

Other articles in the pile I received from the St Louis library revealed that I was slightly wrong on when Takuma came to St Louis. He was there already from 1904 (not 1905). It also reveal the reason to why he went there:

[LaurenOE]

Very interesting thread!

[ihasa]

Agreed! Absolutely fascinating. I had no idea the origins of Pentax were so interesting.

[Douglas_of_Sweden]

Agreed! Absolutely fascinating. I had no idea the origins of Pentax were so interesting.

So what about Takuma Kajiwara and the great St Louis worlds fair of 1904 (the last pictures I posted are a famed flyer and some photo's from the fair)?

This is what in a news paper interview regarding what he did after the period in 1901-1902 when he was commissioned by the Japanese government to start the first camera clubs in Japan:

"Kajiwara was preparing to go traveling again. This time it was to be France. And Paris. But before he could get away from Fukuoka a letter arrived from St. Louis, Missouri, USA. It was written by a St. Louis manufacturer of photographic plates. The manufacturer had seen some of the work Kajiwara had done in Seattle. Would Kajiwara come to St. Louis and take charge of a studio the manufacturer was interested in?"

"It was 1904. St. Louis. One heard much of St. Louis, one saw it advertised. St. Louis where they were holding the World's Fair. Kajiwara looked at a map. St. Louis, lo and behold, was on the Mississippi, the beautiful Mississippi, the magnificient Mississipi that every Japanese schoolboy knew about. If St. Louis was on that mighty river, then St. Louis must be a beautiful city. Being an artist, Kajiwara was interested in beauty. He took the job."

So now we know why he went there: a job and a world's fair, one of the largest ever. It turns out, after some more digging, that the fair was supposed to be in 1903, but the constructions was not yet ready, so it was moved to 1904. That could explain why the travel documents show that Kajiwara came back to the U.S. already in 1902...then he had to stay until 1904...and then he liked it so much so in 1905 he started his own studio. That appears to explain fairly well the previous gap between 1902 (still working in Japan initiating camera clubs on behalf of the government) and 1905 (registering his own studio in St. Louis).

Still I have no clue what he actually did during the Seattle years ...


He is on the first line: male, single, photographer, Japanese, with 50US$ on his pocket (which was a requirement unless you had someone onshore promising to support you).

Yes, the handwriting is a bit strange, it makes 1902 look like 1907 or 1909, but this is from 1902, I've triple checked.

BTW, another interesting detail is that while running his studio in St Louis, Kajiwara submitted some patents to the U.S. patent office...on photographic equipment of course.

[monochrome]

The Exposition occupied approximately half of Forest Park, which is 500 acres larger than new York's Central Park. Only one of the buildings - the Palace of Fine Arts (The St. Louis Art Museum) was made permanent. The rest were built of plaster of Paris and fibers. Over the last twenty years a significant public-private partnership, Forest Park Forever, has restored much of the Park to its former glory.

For my first 41 years I lived within a 5-minute walk of the western edge of the Park. The entire thing is open and free to the public, including the St. Louis Zoo, another World's Fair remnant.

The 1904 Olympics were also held in St. Louis, primarily at Francis Field, the athletic field of Washington University which sits at the western border of the Park. Francis Field remains today the primary athletic field for the University and the original Francis Field House gymnasium remains the core of the indoor athletic facility. One can only imagine Takuma Kajiwara photographed events there as well, though I cannot locate any attributed photographs (there are over 100 "unknown.".

---

Last edited by monochrome; 03-29-2013 at 10:28 AM.

[monochrome]

To the thread: I'm a life-long resident of St. Louis. I just discovered this Post and at some time must have "Marked Forums Read" because clicking took me to the last entry. I've started at the beginning and read all of Douglas_of_Sweden's excellent entries and research.

I am a member of the Mercantile Library of St. Louis and of the Missouri Historical Society, as well as the St. Louis Library Assn. The Mercantile Library will be the most significant due to their extensive collection of World's Fair materials, but the Public Library has a wonderful business archive from the mid 1800's through the depression. And of course the St. Louis Post Dispatch and Globe-Democrat were our evening and morning daily newspapers until about ten years ago. Their archives are at the Mercantile.

Many names that Douglas mentions were acquaintances and friends of my grandparents (in particular Mimi Bates) and I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn Kijiwara had done a portrait of a grandmother or aunt (though I make no claim - yet). I grew up with and attended school with the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of these people and many are my friends and clients even today. How truly interesting that my life has intersected with Pentax in a way I never imagined before today!!

I can't promise anything like a quick addition to the thread - but - over time I will research and write what I learn and obtain whatever scans I am permitted to make (the Mercantile is understandably QUITE jealous of its collections). At the least I can write an article for the Forum about his time in St. Louis.

Somehow I've known I shuld keep my modest Takumar collection.

[Douglas_of_Sweden]

To the thread: I'm a life-long resident of St. Louis. I just discovered this Post and at some time must have "Marked Forums Read" because clicking took me to the last entry. I've started at the beginning and read all of Douglas_of_Sweden's excellent entries and research.

I am a member of the Mercantile Library of St. Louis and of the Missouri Historical Society, as well as the St. Louis Library Assn. The Mercantile Library will be the most significant due to their extensive collection of World's Fair materials, but the Public Library has a wonderful business archive from the mid 1800's through the depression. And of course the St. Louis Post Dispatch and Globe-Democrat were our evening and morning daily newspapers until about ten years ago. Their archives are at the Mercantile.

Many names that Douglas mentions were acquaintances and friends of my grandparents (in particular Mimi Bates) and I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn Kijiwara had done a portrait of a grandmother or aunt (though I make no claim - yet). I grew up with and attended school with the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of these people and many are my friends and clients even today. How truly interesting that my life has intersected with Pentax in a way I never imagined before today!!

I can't promise anything like a quick addition to the thread - but - over time I will research and write what I learn and obtain whatever scans I am permitted to make (the Mercantile is understandably QUITE jealous of its collections). At the least I can write an article for the Forum about his time in St. Louis.

Somehow I've known I shuld keep my modest Takumar collection.

Welcome to the thread, Monochrome! I've been wishing for a counterpart in St Louis to do some research on the ground (as well as someone in Seattle and New York). Here is a first task for you:

Please locate a copy of "Notable women of St. Louis" by Mrs. Chas. P. Johnson published in 1914. Takuma Kajiwara is supposed to have shot the portraits of 65 women for that book, all of them included in the book. I haven't been able to find it, neither on the web, nor through my antiquariat contacts. But I suppose there just must be a copy somewhere in St Louis.

I've been wondering who the photographic plate manufacturer was who invited him to St Louis. How many plat manufacturers could there have been in St Louis in 1903-1905?
St Louis was actually dominating the dry plate manufacturing in the US with three companies competing over the market: Central Dry Plate Company, Cramer Dry Plate Company, and the Hammer Dry Plate Company. I have no evidence yet, but I have a qualified guess:

Let me present Mr Gustav Cramer


In summary

Gustav Cramer
1838-1914

Born in Germany, emigrated to the United States in 1859 settling in St. Louis, Missouri, Served as an apprentice to photographer John A. Scholten, at the time was the most prominent photographers in the region. After fighting in the Civil War for the Union Army, he entered into a partnership with local portrait painter Julius Gross, and together they opened a gallery in St. Louis. It was here where he began his experimentation with retouching negatives. The firm were awarded the highest honors at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1867 (yes, the first one in 1867, not 1904). The Cramer, Gross, & Co. photography business became so successful a larger gallery was opened in 1872. His attentions turned to the manufacturing of dry plates. In collaboration with fellow German immigrant Herman Norden in 1880 Cramer & Norden's revolutionary dry plates were displayed at the the National Photographers' Convention in Chicago, and where awarded top honors. With his three sons, he conducted business as Cramer Dry Plate Works and Cramer Dry Plate Company. Affectionately known in his beloved St. Louis as 'Papa Cramer,' he was named president of the Photographers' Association of America (nowadays known as PPA, Professional Photographers of America) in 1887. He died of a stomach illness in 1914.



It may have been Gustav Cramer who in 1902 invited Mr. Takuma Kajiwara to come and work for him in St Louis at a new studio in connection to the 1904 St Louis worlds fair. It could of course have been one of his sons instead. It can also have been at one of the other two companies, Centrals or Hammers, but the reason why I have a preference for "Papa Cramer" is that he knew and collaborated with George Eastman of Kodak. That would explain another mystery. You can encounter the statement that Takuma Kajiwara was friend with Mr Eastman, but I have not been able to find any support for this. If it was Cramer who first employed Kajiwara, it may explain how and when he learned to know George Eastman.

Lets see, if you can find any documentation of this, monochrome.

[monochrome]

I will set about it!

As for the book, I would imagine there weren't more than just a few hundred imprinted, Though one of them might have made it into a collection here given its historical significance it is equally probable that, over the last thirty years, any surviving copies were simply discarded as grandparents passed away and children and grandchildren who live elsewhere simply emptied their parents' houses and took possessions of their inheritances. My wife and I regularly attend local auctions and "rescue" fine old things from these houses. We're often troubled that no one wants these items and memories of their families.

[Ratmagiclady]

Less serious? Well, how bout this, ...RML's been keeping company with a rescue kitten who was in need of a name, you see.

Meet Takuma the Kitty.

[Douglas_of_Sweden]

Well, let's hope for the best regarding the book. It would give us a very valuable idea of the variability of the working technique by Takuma.

Here is another of the few male portraits I've found so far:


Medical doctor Leo Loeb, 1869 to 1859, from 1910 director of the Barnard Free Skin & Cancer Hospital in St. Louis. Portrayed by Takuma Kajiwara in 1912.

Very serious looking guy!

[Douglas_of_Sweden]

Less serious? Well, how bout this, ...RML's been keeping company with a rescue kitten who was in need of a name, you see.

Meet Takuma the Kitty.

Yes, I can see on the moustach that they must be related

[jeffshaddix]

This is impressive work by all involved, and I think it would make a great front page article when the time is right. Bravo for the time spent researching and honoring the grave of the man behind the Takumar eponym. Best of luck, Mike, on contacting the family.

Cheers!

[Douglas_of_Sweden]

I will set about it!

As for the book, I would imagine there weren't more than just a few hundred imprinted, Though one of them might have made it into a collection here given its historical significance it is equally probable that, over the last thirty years, any surviving copies were simply discarded as grandparents passed away and children and grandchildren who live elsewhere simply emptied their parents' houses and took possessions of their inheritances. My wife and I regularly attend local auctions and "rescue" fine old things from these houses. We're often troubled that no one wants these items and memories of their families.

This is silly, but I suppose they continuously scan more and more material and make it available on-line. It turns out that the Library of Congress now have scanned this book. It wasn't there last time I looked about a year ago, but now it is there. One can download it as pdf, but then the resolution on the photographs are bad, so the best is to read it online. Turns out that Takuma Kajiwara was not the only photographer enlisted for this work, but 35 of the portraits are by him.