Paris, France (Furansu Parisu no fu), from the series "Collection of Scenic Places in Foreign Lands (Bankoku meisho zukushi no uchi)"
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban triptych
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
32438
Art Historical Context
Utagawa Yoshitora’s *Paris, France (Furansu Parisu no fu)*, created in 1862, is a captivating color woodblock print from the series *Collection of Scenic Places in Foreign Lands (Bankoku meisho zukushi no uchi)*. As a member of the renowned Utagawa school, Yoshitora specialized in ukiyo-e—pictures of the floating world—often depicting actors, warriors, and urban life. This oban triptych, spanning three large sheets, imagines the grandeur of Paris at a pivotal moment: late Edo-period Japan was emerging from centuries of isolation (sakoku), sparked by Commodore Perry’s arrival in 1853. With limi...
About the Artist
Utagawa Yoshitora · 1845–1880
Utagawa Yoshitora (歌川 芳虎), also known by his art names Ichimōsai, Mōsai, and Kinchōrō, was a prolific ukiyo-e artist born in Edo (modern Tokyo), where he trained under the renowned Utagawa Kuniyoshi, recognized as his oldest pupil. Little is known of his early life, which remains sparsely documented, but his earliest works include illustrations for the book *Story of Karasu Kanzaemon’s Loyalty* in...