Date: March 13 – May 31, 2017
Location: Asian Centre (1871 West Mall) (map) & Rare Books and Special Collections (1961 East Mall) (map)
Hours: Same as the Asian Library and RBSC open hours (see hours)

John Cooper Robinson was an Anglican missionary who lived and worked in Japan in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The Cooper Robinson collection consisting of over 4,600 photographic prints, negatives, glass lantern slides, and postcards is one of the most valuable photographic records of this era.

The exhibition on display at Rare Books and Special Collections was curated by Professor Allen Hockley and Naoko Kato. The exhibit highlights four major themes: Robinson and the Economies of Japanese Photography, Robinson and the M.S.C.C. Mission in Japan, Robinson and Japanese Religions, and Robinson’s Photographic Practices. This exhibit features original photographs as well as glass lantern slides and glass negatives that were used by Robinson.

The exhibit display at the Asian Center features a selection from “The Making of History and Artifacts (1888-1926): The Photographs of John Cooper Robinson from Meiji-Taisho Japan” exhibit, curated by Robert Bean with an introduction by Bill Sewell.

Check out the John Cooper Robinson Collection Finding Aid to learn more about this extensive photo collection.

The Asian Library and Rare Books and Special Collections are delighted to host this new exhibit in conjunction with our March 24th symposium, Double Exposure | Japan-Canada: Missionary Photographs of Meiji-Taisho Japan.

The exhibition is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Japanese Language Librarian Naoko Kato at naoko.kato@ubc.ca.

Take a rare glimpse into Japan in the 1890s-1920s through the photographs taken by a Canadian missionary, John Cooper Robinson. We can only begin to understand Cooper Robinson’s photographs by overlaying both Canadian and Japanese historical contexts and perspectives. Join our symposium led by art historians and historians who specialize in Japan and Canada, to explore ways in which the Cooper Robinson photographs can be used and made relevant for future research and teaching. Symposium attendees will have the opportunity to visit the ongoing curated exhibit at Rare Books and Special Collections (RBSC).

Double Exposure | Japan-Canada: Missionary Photographs of Meiji-Taisho Japan
Friday March 24, 12-4 p.m.
Lillooet Room, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre (1961 East Mall) (map)

12:00-1:00  Registration and Reception (light refreshments will be provided)

1:00-1:15  Opening Remarks | Introduction (donor, Jill Robinson)

1:15-2:00  Allen Hockley (respondent, Ignacio Adriasola)

2:00-3:00   RBSC exhibit visit, coffee break

3:00-3:15    Hamish Ion

3:15-4:00    Round table discussion (facilitator, Tristan Grunow) | Concluding Remarks

Allen Hockley is Associate Professor of Art History at Dartmouth College. He specializes in early Japanese photography and woodblock prints and illustrated books from the Tokugawa through early Showa periods.

Hamish Ion is a Professor Emeritus in the History Department, Royal Military College of Canada. He is a specialist in modern Japanese history.

Ignacio Adriasola is Assistant Professor in the Department of Art History, Visual Art, and Theory at the University of British Columbia.

Tristan Grunow is Assistant Professor without review in the Department of History at the University of British Columbia.

The Asian Library and Rare Books and Special Collections and are delighted to host a symposium to launch our current exhibit Double Exposure | Japan-Canada: Missionary Photographs of Meiji-Taisho Japan

This event is made possible through generous support from the Center for Japanese Research, the UBC History Department, the UBC Library, and nominal support from the Consulate General of Japan.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Japnese Language Librarian Naoko Kato at naoko.kato@ubc.ca.