Butterfly Ballet in a Theatre in Yeddo, from the illustrated book "Picturesque World or Scenes in Many Lands"
Butterfly Ballet in a Theatre in Yeddo, from the illustrated book "Picturesque World or Scenes in Many Lands"

Currently not on view

Butterfly Ballet in a Theatre in Yeddo, from the illustrated book "Picturesque World or Scenes in Many Lands",

1878

Printmaker: Gaulhard, dates unknown
Edited by: Leo de Colange LL.D.
Published by: Estes & Lauriat
American
Meiji era, 1868–1912
2006-63

This Western book illustration is clearly based on Kunisada and Sadahide’s 1861 triptych of the Gankirō Tea House, which pokes fun at foreign customers at the brothel. Ironically, here the Chinese and Western figures have been omitted while the imaginary figure of Genji has been retained to illustrate what the printmaker believed to be an accurate representation of Japan.

Information

Title
Butterfly Ballet in a Theatre in Yeddo, from the illustrated book "Picturesque World or Scenes in Many Lands"
Dates

1878

Maker
Printmaker: Gaulhard
Edited by: Leo de Colange LL.D.
Published by: Estes & Lauriat
Medium
Woodblock book illustration; ink on gray paper
Dimensions
sheet: 23.5 x 31.7 cm. (9 1/4 x 12 1/2 in.) mat: 36.2 x 48.9 cm. (14 1/4 x 19 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Anonymous gift
Object Number
2006-63
Signatures
“Gaulhard” at lower right.
Culture
American
Period
Meiji
Type
engravings, books, prints
Materials
paper (fiber product), ink
Techniques
wood engraving (process)
Subject
women, butterflies, ballet dancers

IIIF manifest

The International Image Interoperability Framework, or IIIF, is an open standard for delivering high-quality, attributed digital objects online at scale. Visit iiif.io to learn more.

Open API URL

Our API is generally designed to provide programmatic access to the Museum's collections data for applications that require regular updates and/or the ability to dynamically query and filter the data via the endpoints provided.

Share your feedback with us

The Museum regularly researches its objects and their collecting histories, updating its records to reflect new information. We also strive to catalogue works of art using language that is consistent with how people, subjects, artists, and cultures describe themselves. As this effort is ongoing, the Museum’s records may be incomplete or contain terms that are no longer acceptable. We welcome your feedback, questions, and additional information that you feel may be useful to us. Email us at collectionsinfo@princeton.edu.

Explore More

Holidays at the Museum

Princeton Collects

Mosaic Restaurant