An American Officer Indicating Directions to his Wife ("Amerikajin"), from "Japanese Translations of Barbarian Words ("Bango wakai")
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Hamill and Barker
Accession Number
1961-105-154
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
In 1863, during Japan's turbulent Bakumatsu era—just before the Meiji Restorationukiyo-e artist Yoshitoratagawa captured the growing fascination with Westerners in his woodblock printAn American Officer Indicating to his Wife ("Amerajin")*. Part of the series *Japanese Translations of Barb Words ("Bango wak")*, this lively image humorously depicts an American officer directions to his wife, blending Japanese visual traditions with exotic "barbarian" subjects. Yoshitora, active from the 1850s to 1870s in the Utagawa school, was renowned for his colorful, detailed prints that reflected everyday ...