Mutsuhito, Emperor of Japan, Emperor of Japan, 1873 (1882). Known since his death as the Emperor Meiji, Mutsuhito, Emperor of Japan (1852-1912) became Emperor of Japan in 1867. His reign saw Japan open up to foreign culture and technology and transform itself from a feudal, pre-industrial country into a powerful, ambitious modern nation. A pioneer of Japanese photography, Uchida Kyuichi was the first and only photographer granted a sitting with the emperor. A photograph from Labor and Porcelain in Japan, by the United States Consul-General, Yokohama, 1882. (Photo by The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)
