It is likely that early in his life Beato and his family moved to Corfu, at the time part of the British protectorate of the Ionian Islands, and so Beato would have qualified as a British subject. Felice Beato, a Venetian by birth, initially worked as a photographer in England and gained fame by covering conflicts such as the Crimean War (1855), the Indian Mutiny (1858), and the occupation of Peking during the Opium War of 1860 with his brother-in-law, James Robertson. He returned to Japan in 1862 and for several years worked with the artist, Charles Wirgman, producing views of Japan, especially Yokohama where he became one of the originators of 'Yokohama Shashin' tourist photos; he also ran a studio there between 1863-1912. Some photographs are signed 'Felice Antonio Beato' representing himself and his brother Antonio, who sometimes worked with him.