Detail: American commodore Matthew Perry had arrived in 1853 with a fleet of imposing, steam-powered warships, triggering an influx of foreign ideas, goods, and technologies to Japan. Yokohama, a small trading settlement, became the center of this new commercialism. Japanese printmakers documented these watershed events and promoted the image of a modern nation in ascent.
Influenced by the introduction of photography and Western newspaper illustrations, printmakers explored new formats. Many works in this exhibition are triptychs—horizontal compositions spanning three panels—particularly well suited to depicting wide boulevards, lengthy steam trains, and large buildings. These new subjects and the broader format appealed to both domestic and international audiences.
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