Amerikakoku – Vintage Print
![Amerikakoku, Japan : Kagaya Kichibei, [1865] — historic print](https://images.jameslantos.com/img/7f/7ffb1b1c3134-L.webp)
(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)
Description
Step back in time with Amerikakoku, a historic print rich in period detail. An authentic image from the Library of Congress, it carries the weight of the real historical record.
The framed print arrives ready to hang; the unframed option suits custom framing. A fine choice for anyone who loves history, and a gift that gets noticed. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Since 2001, Snapshots of the Past has shipped historic prints to tens of thousands of customers around the world.
Amerikakoku
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Among the prints on this board, this triptych stands out for showing an American scene through a Japanese artist's eyes. Its title, *Amerikakoku*, means "the country of America." Printed in 1865 by Kagaya Kichibei, signed by Yoshitora, and engraved, according to attribution, by Hori Mino, it shows a balloon rising while spectators and carriages gather below across three joined sheets. The print belongs to a series called *Images of the western world*, which reflected Japan's growing curiosity about foreign lands after its ports began opening in the 1850s. Such scenes were often built from secondhand reports and Western illustrations, so the crowds and vehicles are best read as Japanese impressions of American public spectacle.
| Created / published | Japan : Kagaya Kichibei, [1865] |
|---|---|
| Medium | 1 print on hōsho paper (3 sheets) : woodcut, color ; 35.8 x 72.4 cm. (block), 35.8 x 73.2 cm. (sheet) |
| Genre | Triptychs Japanese 1860-1870.Woodcuts Japanese Color 1860-1870. |
| Notes | Title from item. Date from no. 148. Signature: Yoshitora ga. Engraving attributed to: Hori Mino. From series entitled: Images of the western world. Extensive, unidentified Japanese writing on backing sheets of no. 148. DLC Printed designs on verso of left panel of no. 150. Annotations, stamps, etc. on verso of print no. 148: 127. DLC Annotations, stamps, etc. on verso of print no. 149: verso of right section: BCL [Bella C. Landauer ownership stamp]; C 318/2; 452 [with Japanese mark]; verso of center section: C 318/2; Japan [stamp]; verso of left section: C 318/2; Japan [stamp]. DLC Annotations, stamps, etc. on verso of print no. 150: verso of left section: BCL [Bella C. Landauer ownership stamp]. DLC Earlier control number: 9942.3-16. Gift; Mrs. E. Crane Chadbourne; 1930 (DLC/PP-1930:47623a). Nos. 149 & 150 Originally collected by Bella C. Landauer. Forms part of: Chadbourne collection o |
| Subjects | Balloon ascensions--United States--1860-1870. Carriages & coaches--United States--1860-1870. Spectators--United States--1860-1870. |
| Source | Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division |
| Original scan | 3,068 × 1,500 px · prints to 10 × 5 in at 300 dpi |
| Reference | AMZ-SOTP-HPA-224148 |
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