artist postcard;
print
- Museum number
- 2015,3031.264
- Description
-
Artist Postcard. Leaf floating on a black pond. From a collection of 389 early-20th c. Japanese postcards.
- Production date
- 1920s
- Dimensions
-
Height: 14 centimetres
-
Width: 9 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- The development of picture postcards in Japan after their first authorisation in 1900 was given added impetus by a wave of public patriotism during the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-5. Fine ‘art cards’ (or ‘artist cards’ – as opposed to photographic picture postcards) were created using the traditional high-quality colour woodblock technique, the newer imported technique of colour lithography, marquetry and other techniques. Some cards were designed by well- known graphic artists, some by professional designers of postcards. Styles ranged from traditional Ukiyo-e to Art Nouveau and Art Deco. Many have eye-catching, even radical graphic compositions. Themes reflect a wide range of popular tastes, some inherited from Ukiyo-e, others completely modern: beautiful women, new ‘romantic’ love, satirical/comic scenes, traditional and modern literary themes, topical events such as expositions, and subjects reflecting modernity, such as travel and sports, patriotism and propaganda.
(T. Clark, 6/2015)
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 2015
- Department
- Asia
- Registration number
- 2015,3031.264
