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This is a portrait of a Japanese family taken by a Methodist missionary in 1929. We know nothing about the family other than what can be observed in the photograph. We do not note if the missionary has converted them. Their home can be observed in the background, but I can't make out a great deal. A reader writes, "My guess is that the home is rather substantial from what I have seen of Japanese homes from my time in Japan. So, I would guess that these people are rather wealthy. Especially with the clothes that they are wearing." They are all dressed in traditional clothing. I think this reflects the conventions for forml phortraits rather than the status of the family. The family looks to us to be a very prosperous, high-status family. But such matters can be dofficulgt for Westerners to pick up on. The bearing and grooming of the father, in particular, suggests to us that he is a man of considerable status and affluence. I would guess that he goes to work in a business suit. The children, especially the boys, probably commonly dressed in Western play clothes and of course school uniforms. Notice that the boys are all dressed identically. The girls have Western hair bows added. Notice that the girls wear white socks, but the boys do not.
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