一鵬斎芳藤画　「AMERIKAZIN （アメリカ人）遊興」|Americans on an Outing (Amerikajin yūgyō)

Ippōsai Yoshifuji

1861 · Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper; vertical ōban · Asian Art

This print was created in Yokohama, a port city where foreign ships would become more common after the 1868 Meiji Restoration, which marked the collapse of the military government of the shoguns and the opening to the West. Artists such as Yoshifuji captured the exotic clothing and what, to the Japanese, seemed like the peculiar facial features of Westerners. The mother’s over-the-top bonnet and elaborate earrings seem to be concoctions based on European images.

Artist

Ippōsai Yoshifuji

Date

1861

Medium

Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper; vertical ōban

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Bequest of William S. Lieberman, 2005