Snapshots of the Past

[Puppets come to life] – Historic Reproduction

[Puppets come to life] — historic print
[Puppets come to life]. Historic print from the Japanese Prints collection.

(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

A window into the past: [Puppets come to life], preserved in this historic print. Sourced directly from the Library of Congress, it represents an authentic piece of documented history.

Framed, it is ready for the wall; unframed, it is ready for the frame you choose. It makes a striking addition to a living room, study or office, and a thoughtful gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past, founded in 2001, has served tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

[Puppets come to life]

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Two sheets of color woodblock print show puppets that seem to break free of the stage and join a brawl, a scene that plays on the Japanese puppet theater's long tradition of animated figures. The record dates it to 1841, late in the Edo period, when woodblock printing was a cheap and popular way to reproduce images for a broad urban readership. Fighting and theatrical spectacle were favorite subjects of the era, and this print's mix of stage and fantasy reflects the taste for lively, fictional scenes that filled books and single sheets alike.

Medium1 print (2 pages) : woodcut, color.
Genredreams and substances
Notes[1841]
SubjectsPuppets--1840-1850. Fighting--Japan--1840-1850. Theaters--Japan--1840-1850. Japanese--Communication--1840-1850. Literature--1840-1850.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan3,665 × 4,608 px · prints to 12 × 15 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-222108

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