Eurasian Prostitute at Nectarine No.9 Brothel (Yokohama)

Ninth from the "P" series:

P 9 NEW NO. 9 GIRLS KANAGAWA (AN EURASIAN)

 

Next from the series:

www.flickr.com/photos/36560798@N02/9240126403

 

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Considering the fact the photograph features two different labels, it's most likely it was sold to another atelier and later resold.

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In the 1880s a special "Nectarine" branch was opened at Nanaken red-light district in Kanagawa. It was for exclusive use of foreigners and it was famous for its large size and in-house electric generator. In 1896, "Nectarine" acquired the right to provide power to the surrounding areas and became the Kanagawa Lighting Company.

(Source: Nagasaki University Database of Old Photographs in Bakumatsu-Meiji Period)

 

And here is another historical account describing this establishment:

Nectarine No. 9, the largest brothel for foreigners in Yokohama, had a hall where the customers could dance and drink. One writer described the inside of the brothel in 1903: “the interior part of Nectarine No. 9 is magnificent. It has a dance hall, smoking room, and restaurant. Rickshaws and hoarse-drawn carriages arrive one after another all day. The brothel is thriving.”

(Kazuhiro Oharazeki, Japanese Prostitutes in the Pacific Northwest, 1887-1920, State University of New York, Binghamton 2008)

 

Perhaps the finest house in Yokohama is No. 9, new No. 9, Nectarine's. This is a most imposing structure, and a glimpse inside shows you the highly polished floor with potted plants arranged artistically thro' out the entire place. The inmates of this house are especially selected for their beauty. If a fine setting can do anything to enhance their liveliness, they surely have it here at Nectarine's. These girls have been repeatedly pictured in photograph and print and Nectarine's is known to all the traveling public in Japan. To all those that go down to the sea in ships and consider Yokohama one of the best ports in the Far East, men in uniform are debarred from the delights of Nectarine's, but many of us shift in[to] civilians, and go anywhere. For my part, I consider Nectarine's no better than the most of the other houses, the Hana house, or No. 21 or 23. The setting is better, that is all. The girls are the same. Divest them of paint and rice powder and silken kimonos - they are simply on a par with their coolie sisters that toil all day in the rice field. They are all the daughters of poor people who need the money and are not averse to selling their own flesh and blood when the procurer comes along seeking new recruits. One hundred dollars is a fair price. From this, on up to about six hundred, will be paid for a number one girl. Some of the girls like the life; others do not. Perhaps they have a poor lover who is unable to buy them out, and thus sees his loved sweetheart ruthlessly torn from his side. There must be tearful partings, for after all, these girls have their affections that are just as pure, and just as strong, as any that may be entertained by their fortunate Western sisters. Poor girls! Let it be known, however, that all Japanese parents are not the same, no matter how poor some are. They will not part with their daughters under any consideration.

(Frederick T. Wilson, A Sailor's Log: Water-tender Frederick T. Wilson, USN, on Asiatic Station, 1899-1901, Kent State University Press, 2004)

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