Englishmen: One Standing, One Sketching

Art Historical Context

**Englishmen: One Standing, Sketching** *Utagawa Yoshimori, 11th month, 1860* Woodblock print; ink and color on paper 14 3/4 x 9 7/8 in. (37.5 x 25.1 cm) Metropolitan Museum of Art,quest of William S., 2005 Step into the vibrant world of late Edo-period Japan with Utagawa Yoshimori *Englishmen: One Standing One Sketching*, a woodblock print that captures a moment of cross-cultural curiosity. Created in the 11th month of 1860, this ink and color on paper work exemplifies ukiyo-e—"pictures of the floating world"—a genre popularized by the Utagawa school, to which Yoshimori belonged. Known for his actor portraits and landscapes, Yoshimori here turns his keen eye to Western visitors, rendering one figure standing attentively and the other absorbed in sketching with precise lines and vivid hues achieved through layered woodblock carving and printing. This print emerges from a pivotal era, the final years of the Edo period (1615–1868), when Japan's isolationist sakoku policy crumbled after Commodore Perry's "black ships" forced open ports like Yokohama in 1854. Depictions of foreigners, often called *Yokohama-e*, flooded the market, reflecting public fascination—and occasional wariness—with Europeans and Americans. Yoshimori's composition highlights their distinctive attire and postures, blending Japanese artistic finesse with documentary realism. Today, this piece offers a window into Japan's impending modernization, showcasing how traditional techniques immortalized global encounters. A gem in the Met's Asian Art collection, it reminds us how art bridges worlds amid historical upheaval. (218 words)

About the Artist

Utagawa Yoshimori · 1830–1884

Japanese, 1830–1884