The Pink Fountain at Jalapa
1912
Medium
Graphic Arts-Print
Classification
Graphic Arts-Print
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Hyde Gillette in memory of Mabel Hyde Gillette and Edwin Fraser Gillette
Accession Number
1992.13.77
Tags
Art Historical Context
Helen Hyde's *The Pink Fountain at Jalapa* (1912) captures the vibrant street life of Xalapa (Jalapa), Mexico, in a delicate color woodblock print. This graphic arts piece depicts a lively town scene centered on a pink-hued fountain, surrounded by a group of figures engaged in everyday activities. Rendered with Hyde's signature precision, the composition blends architectural details of the bustling street with the soft glow of the fountain, evoking the warmth and rhythm of Mexican public spaces. As a pioneering American printmaker influenced by Japanese ukiyo-e techniques, Hyde mastered multi...
About the Artist
Helen Hyde · 1868–1919
Helen Hyde (1868–1919) was born in Lima, New York, and spent much of her childhood in California, where her family had relocated. She began her formal artistic training at the San Francisco School of Design and continued at the Art Students League in New York from 1888 to 1889. In 1890 she traveled to Europe, spending time in Berlin and subsequently in Paris from 1891 to 1894, where she became cap...