| Names: | | | Dates: | 1832 - 1909 | | Born: | Italy, Venice | | Died: | Italy | | Active: | Japan | | Gender: | Male |
Early travel and war photographer active from 1853 onwards in the Mediterranean and the Crimea sometimes in partnership with James Robertson. He traveled widely and photographed the aftermath of the Indian Mutiny, in Second Opium War in China, Japan and in the Sudan.
Be careful, as there are two brothers Antonio Beato and Felice Beato (Grove Art explains the mystery.)
D.F. Rennie, The British Arms in North China and Japan: Peking 1860; Kagoshima 1862, (London: John Murray, 1864) p.112.
Writing on the attack on the Taku Forts in China - 21st August 1860
I walked round the ramparts on the west side. They were thickly strewed with dead—in the north-west angle thirteen were lying in one group round a gun. Signor Beato was here in great excitement, characterising the group as "beautiful," and begging that it might not be interfered with until perpetuated by his photographic apparatus, which was done a few minutes afterwards. Not far from this group, a tall and very dignified-looking man of between fifty and sixty, stated to be the general who had conducted the defence, was lying dead, his lower jaw shattered by a rifle bullet.
Captain S.H. Jones-Parry, My Journey Round the World via Ceylon, New Zealand, Australia, Torres Straits, China, Japan, and the United States, Two Volumes (London: Hurst and Blackett, 1881), Volume II, p.25-26
Captain S.H. Jones-Parry recounts his meeting with Signor Beato in Yokohama:
I must not forget to mention that I met my old friend Signor Beato here. I had first made his acquaintance whilst engaged in photography under the walls of Sebastopol; I next accosted him amidst the blood and carnage at Lucknow; and now finally we met in the streets of Yokohama. Could anyone have chosen three more distant places, or more varied circumstances, to meet under? I have seen some splendid specimens of his art taken at all these places. I mention Beato here because he may be said to be the father of photography in Japan, and many of the best negatives there now are his productions. He was a true artist and not only manipulated well, but chose his subjects carefully and treated them artistically. He established his studio at Yokohama, but finding he had larger fish to fry, he sold his business; and I am sure scores of my old comrades will be glad to hear he is doing well. I think, next to Mrs. Seacole, Beato is as well known to the British army as any private individual. Of course I must dine with him: he, in conjunction with another merchant, runs the club, a very comfortable one, at which my name was immediately put down as an honorary member. He promised that I should meet a lot of good fellows, and he kept his word. At the dinner which would have rivalled Barnum's celebrated breakfast, we had such a polyglot lot! English, Welsh, German, Italian, Russian; judges, counsellors, artists, soldiers, merchants, and diplomatists. The cuisine and wines were first rate. I was introduced to the Russian as one who had killed scores of his countrymen at Sevastopol, and we agreed that drinking good champagne with Beato was better than fighting in the Crimea.
His photographs were used as the basis for illustrations in contemporary books including:
James Furgusson A History of Architecture in all Countries, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day, in three volumes, (London: John Murray, 1867)
R. Mounteney Jephson and Edward Pennell Elmhirst, 9th Regiment, Our Life in Japan. With illustrations from Photographs by Lord Walter Kerr, Signor Beato, and Native Japanese drawings, (London: Chapman and Hall, 1869)
Henry Knollys, Incidents in the China War of 1860 compiled from the Private Journals of General Sir Hope Grant, (Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1875)
Alexander Michie, From Peking to Petersburg, Through the Deserts and Steppes of Mongolia, Tartary, &c., (London: John Murray, 1864)
Robert Swinhoe, Narrative of the North China Campaign of 1860; Containing Personal Experiences of Chinese Characters, and of the Moral and Social Condition of the Country; Together with a Description of the Interior of Pekin, (London, Smith, Elder and Co., 1861)Preparing biographies
Further reading
Bowen, Claire, 2007, ‘Memorising the Mutiny: Felice Beato's Lucknow Photographs‘, Cahiers victoriens & édouardiens, no.66, pp.195-209
Chappell, Walter, 1958, Feb., ‘Robertson, Beato & Co. Camera vision at Lucknow‘, Image, no.7, pp.36-40
Clark, John, Fraser, John & Osman, Colin, 1989, A Chronology of Felix (Felice) Beato, (Privately printed by the authors)
Fraser, John, 1981, ‘Beato's photograph of the interior of the Sikansar-Bagh at Lucknow‘, Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research, vol.59, pp.51-55
Harris, John, 2000, ‘Topography and Memory: Felice Beato's Photographs of India, 1858-1859‘, in Dehejia, Vidya (ed.), India through the lens: photography 1840-1911, pp.118-147
Masselos, Jim & Gupta, Narayani, 1997, Beato's Delhi, 1858, 1887, (Delhi)
White, Stephen, 1982, ‘Felix Beato and the First Korean War, 1871‘, The Photographic Collector, vol.3, no.1
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Family history
If you are related to this photographer and interested in tracking down your extended family we can place a note here for you to help. It is free and you would be amazed who gets in touch.
alan@luminous-lint.com |
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Exhibitions on this website |
 | Felice Beato: Book illustrations |
|  | Felice Beato: Burma: Portraits |
|  | Felice Beato: China: Pehtang Fort |
|  | Felice Beato: China: Peking: Summer Palace |
|  | Felice Beato: China: Prince Gong Qinwang |
|  | Felice Beato: China: Taku Fort |
|  | Felice Beato: Egypt |
|  | Felice Beato: India: Hodson's Horse |
|  | Felice Beato: India: Lucknow: Interior of the Secundra Bagh |
|  | Felice Beato: India: Lucknow: The Residency |
|  | Felice Beato: India: Mutineers Hanged |
|  | Felice Beato: Japan: Cartes de visite |
|  | Felice Beato: Japan: Japanese shop |
|  | Felice Beato: Japan: My Artists |
|  | Felice Beato: Japan: Portrait of the Satsuma Clan Envoys |
|  | Felice Beato: Japan: Portraits |
|  | Felice Beato: Japan: Samurai of the Satsuma clan |
|  | Felice Beato: Japan: The Executioner |
|  | Felice Beato: Korea |
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All photographs by this photographer
The following books are useful starting points to obtain brief biographies but they are not substitutes for the monographs on individual photographers. |
• Auer, Michele & Michel 1985 Encyclopedie Internationale Des Photographes de 1839 a Nos Jours / Photographers Encylopaedia International 1839 to the present (Hermance, Editions Camera Obscura) 2 volumes [A classic reference work for biographical information on photographers.]
• Beaton, Cecil & Buckland, Gail 1975 The Magic Eye: The Genius of Photography from 1839 to the Present Day (Boston and Toronto: Little, Brown & Company) p.49 [Useful short biographies with personal asides and one or more example images.]
• Capa, Cornell (ed.) 1984 The International Center of Photography: Encyclopedia of Photography (New York, Crown Publishers, Inc. - A Pound Press Book) p.58
• Lenman, Robin (ed.) 2005 The Oxford Companion to the Photograph (Oxford: Oxford University Press) [Includes a short biography on Felice Beato.]
• Perez, Nissan N. 1988 Focus East: Early Photography in the Near East 1839-1885 (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.) p.131 [Short biography on Felice Beato possibly with example plates.]
• Weaver, Mike (ed.) 1989 The Art of Photography 1839-1989 (New Haven and London: Yale University Press) p.451 [This exhibition catalogue is for the travelling exhibition that went to Houston, Canberra and London in 1989.]
• Witkin, Lee D. and Barbara London 1979 The Photograph Collector’s Guide (London: Secker and Warburg) p.222-223 [Long out of print but an essential reference work - the good news is that a new edition is in preparation.]
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If there is an analysis of a single photograph or a useful self portrait I will highlight it here. |
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