The Port of London, England (Igirisu Rondon no kaiko), 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
32363
Art Historical Context
In the bustling world of 19th-century Japan, Utagawa Yoshitora captured the exotic allure of distant shores with *The Port of London, (Igirisu Rondon no kaiko)*, a vibrant color woodblock print from 1862 series * of Scenic Places in Foreign (Bankoku meisho zukushi no uchi)*. As a master of the Utagawa and ukiyo-e tradition, Yoshitora blended Japanese printmaking prowess with imaginative depictions of the West, reflecting Japan's tentative opening to global influences after centuries of isolation under the sakoku policy. This oban triptych—three large sheets designed to join into a panoramic v...
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...