Label Text: Kageyama married in 1934 and he and his wife immediately moved into the Dōjunkai Apartments in Aoyama, one of a group of public-housing projects designed in a modernist style and constructed to withstand earthquakes. He delighted in his new residence—it had a separate entrance, gas in the kitchen, and a flush toilet—and incessantly documented his modern life. On this image he added an extensive commentary that described how he and his wife, Shizuko, spent his monthly salary, what he described as a “100-yen cultured living.” Kageyama leans over to be sure he is included in the photograph, which he took with a pneumatic bulb release. They have installed in their living space objects that represent Westernized sophistication—an electric toaster, a portrait of Beethoven designed by Koizumi Kishio, and a large collection of English books. He also writes of the pleasure of listening to Western classical music on a portable gramophone that he was able to purchase in installments.
Professor Samuel C. Morse, 2015
Tags: self-portraits; domestic space; households; drinking; families; marriage; eating; furniture Link to share this object record: https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=AC+2014.50 |