Philippine Revolution Pic needing ID

[sanduko]

Hello all,
Do any of these people look familiar?
Can anyone place where this pic was taken?
I own this picture.

Attachments:

[scarab]

Are those Japanese katanas on the wall? The giant fan might be too. The jars might be Chinese though.

[scarab]

After looking at the picture some more, I noticed the absemce of dark shadows. As if the source of light is a very large window. But even then very minimal shadows seems present. As if one whole wall is non existent, just lighting. The people seemed posed. I am thinking maybe this is a "staged" shoot. Just like a play. I'm just guessing, but the lighting seems to point that way.
I hope this is useful.
Regards,
scarab

[sanduko]

Scarab,
Thank you for your input.
Yes, it does look staged, but on a set or in a house?
There's a figure in the background near the drapes. If it was stage lighting, would he be illuminated also?
The katana's are interesting. Didn't Bonifacio make a deal with the Japanese for arms? Rifles and ammunition. Maybe the katana's and fan were gifts from the japanese?

Do the people in the picture look familiar?

[frank]

Thanks for posting the photo.
Lets begin with the present.
Who own's the photo. Where is it today at.
How did it get there? What is the oldest information of its origin.
(how did it come into your possesion?)
Were there other photos with it? Did it come in an album, letter, etc.?
Any markings on the back or front of the photo?

Analysis using the items in the image of the photo.
How old / or when was the flag made?
We may to look at the clothes closely. When and where did they wear those kind of clothes?

Philippines, Hong Kong, Europe, England. These locations are assumptions of where the "Illustrados may have had a "club house" where they got to hang out together, using todays wording.

The decor displayed on the walls, you can still get those large fans today. Swords displayed like a fan. They would not do that in Japan as they have more reverence for those kind of swords.

Can we get enlargements of the items in the photo for closer examination?

Thanks for the puzzle.

[sanduko]

I have a date correction. The photo is from 1898.
Frank, thanks for the questions. I will try and post better close up images shortly.

One thing to note, the small flags on the wall are red side up.

[paopadd]

The pic was taken after may 1898....the flags were displayed in many ways: red stripe up and blue down and vice-versa....

[junlua0408]

I tend to agree with scarab that this is staged. In addition to his point about lighting and shadows, the blocking/positioning of the people is consistent with a stage play. In a real situation, there will be more interaction with each other rather than each person looking at his own document and everybody facing front - quite common in stage plays when you are establishing a scene. The white hair of the person at lower right seems like stage make up.

[xiluap]

This is a photo of the editorial staff of Antonio Luna's "La Independencia" find the same photo printed in one of the pages of Reader's Digest's Kasaysayan collection published to celebrate the Philippine Centennial in 1998.

[frank]

Thanks for the update.
Few candid photos back then. Film speed(emulsion, may have been on a glass negative) was slow.
Flash photography or IPhoto was not readily available then.
Everyone in the photo had to pose for the exposure or else be blurred.

Still waiting for the close ups...