Description:
Album of thirty-four (35) bound triptychs and one (1) pentaptych depicting episodes from the Sino-Japanese War.
Label Text:
This album contains many fine examples of scenes from the Sino-Japanese War, ranging from battle reportage to apocryphal episodes, such as a visit by the Empress to a field hospital. Many of the designs are "deluxe" editions, with added coloration and lavish ink effects. The album also includes many examples of variant states of the print, principally those with the title cartouches shifted into the picture frame, which was likely a necessity in order to bind them. As such, these prints appear to have been published explicitly for inclusion in an album and were marketed as collector's items, accounting for both their high quality and the absence of penciled-in publication dates on the visible publisher's seals. This album, which purports to be a complete and true account of the Sino-Japanese War, was most likely compiled after the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki on April 17, 1895 (an event itself depicted in the collected prints), which could also mean that some of the prints were re-issued many months after their original publication. While there are some uncertainties surrounding this generous gift of Ruth S. Nelkin, one thing above all is certain: As a result of their binding, these prints have never been displayed, so their colors remain bright and crisp, and many of them are the finest examples of their design in any known public collection. - BB, 2014
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=AC+2000.385 |
