Silver Print Photograph, Yokohama, Japan, Adamtina Studio 1903

Studio photograph, silver print mounted on cardboard and framed, depicting a young elegantly dressed woman seated on an ornate chair, holding a bouquet of flowers. She wears a refined white dress and a wide hat decorated with flowers, typical of early 20th‑century feminine fashion.

On the recto, handwritten ink inscriptions read: “Sincerely with love” (upper left) and “Remember me with love” (lower right), giving the image an intimate and personal character.

At the bottom of the mount appears the printed stamp of the studio: “Adamtina – Yokohama Japan”, 1903, attesting to its provenance and dating.

The photographic studios of Yokohama, at the turn of the 20th century, were renowned for their portrait work. The city, open to exchanges with the West, was then a pivotal center of Japanese photography: numerous studios offered portraits in a Western style, often accompanied by personal dedications, as in this example.

“Adamtina” does not appear among the great names of the celebrated “Yokohama School” (such as Felice Beato, Raimund von Stillfried, Adolfo Farsari, Kusakabe Kimbei, Ogawa Kazumasa, or Tamamura Kōzaburō).

Although less documented than the major Japanese photographers of the period, the Adamtina studio reflects the refinement and Western influence in Japan during the Meiji/Taishō era.

It is likely that “Adamtina” was a small local studio or a commercial brand active in Yokohama in the early 1900s, producing portraits for both residents and travelers.