The Lost Etchings of Fritz Capelari: Holy Grail #4

Friedrich Capelari (1884-1950) has the notable distinction of being the first Western artist to work with the Japanese woodblock print publisher Watanabe Shôzaburô,  He was born in the small town of Bleiburg in a southern Austrian district called Carinthia, known for its fine wood carving.  His father, in fact, was engaged in painting and woodcarving for use in interior design.  Capelari studied decorative arts and graphics at a trade school in Graz, and then attended the Academy of Fine Art in Vienna from 1906 to 1910, winning an academic prize.

Umbrellas (Kasa) aka Girls Returning Home in the Rain (1915) by Friedrich Capelari

Courtesy of Hanga.com

(woodblock print)

While at the Academy of Fine Art, Capelari met a Japanese student who was briefly in attendance there, which planted the seed in his mind to one day visit Japan.  In 1911, he received a commission from the Austrian steamship company, the "Osterreichischer Lloyd," to paint a picture of Shanghai harbor, thereby providing the funds for his passage to Japan.   Capelari would spend the next several years in China, Korea, and Japan.  Like many Europeans, however, he eventually found himself stranded in the Far East due to the outbreak of World War I.

Nude Woman Holding a Black Cat (1915) by Friedrich Capelari

Courtesy of The Art of Japan

(woodblock print)

According to some sources, Capelari first met Watanabe in 1914 or else in the spring of 1915, when he rented a house in Akasaka, Tokyo.  Around this time, a Tokyo department store had an exhibition of Capelari's watercolor landscapes.  Watanabe attended the exhibition, and thought their composition and color contrast made them particularly suitable for conversion to the woodblock print medium.  Capelari's collaboration with Watanabe would led to some 15 woodblock prints being made between 1915 and 1920 (although all but one of which were made in the 1915-1916 time period when Watanabe's fledgling shin hanga print business was trying to get off the ground).

 

 

Pine Tree Near Yotsuya Mitsuke, Tokyo (1920) by Friedrich Capelari

Personal Collection

(woodblock print)

 

Pine Tree Near Yotsuya Mitsuke, Tokyo (1920) by Friedrich Capelari

Personal Collection

(woodblock print variant or test proof)

Capelari left Japan in 1920 and, after a long sojourn spent in the Dutch Indies, Java, and Bali, returned to Europe in 1922.  He then spent ten years in The Netherlands, Britain, and Spain.   Capelari revisited Java and Japan in 1932, before settling down in Carinthia.  He became a member of the Carinthia Art Society and spent his later years creating wood sculpture and landscape paintings in oil.  Curiously, despite his contact with Watanabe and the fact that wood carving was "in his blood" so to speak, Capelari never seems to have been motivated to attempt to carve any of his own prints.

Ramiza [of Djokja, Java] (1921) by Friedrich Capelari

Courtesy of Zeeuws Veilinghuis

(colored drawing)

Capelari's woodblock prints, influenced by the likes of Hokusai and Harunobu, are well-documented and discussed in the literature, and I don't have anything particularly original to say about them at this time.   However, what has been overlooked before now is that Capelari also made etchings, at least one of which depicts a Japanese temple.

Kyoto (1915) by Friedrich Capelari

Courtesy of Galerie Magnet

(etching)

Aside from its appearance in a single gallery exhibition catalog, I have never seen any copies of this etching published or for sale anywhere.   And if Capelari made this etching, it is only logical to assume that he made at one or more other etchings detailing sites he visited while in the Far East, although the identities and whereabouts of such etchings are presently unknown.  Despite the title I've used for this post, I don't seriously believe that such Capelari etchings are truly "lost," only overlooked and neglected, and hopefully this post will lead to more copies coming out of the woodwork (to mix metaphors).  Readers who are aware of additional designs are encouraged to get in touch with me.

Children at the Fair (1915) by Friedrich Capelari 

Personal Collection 

(woodblock print)

My thanks to Peter Pantzer, whose research is responsible for providing much of the biographical information about Capelari's life and career.

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Japan Comes To Hawaii: Shirley Russell’s Botanical Prints

Shirley Ximena Hopper Russell (1886-1985), also known as Shirley Marie Russell, was born in Del Rey, California.  She studied art and modern language at Stanford University, graduating in 1907 (1908 according to some sources).  In 1909, she married Lawrence Russell, an engineer.  After the premature death of her husband in 1912, she began teaching in Palo Alto to support herself and her young son.  In 1921, Russell and her son visited Hawaii and she decided to take up permanent residence there in 1923.

Self-Portrait (c. 1920s?)

Courtesy of Cedar Street Galleries

(oil on canvas)

Russell studied under the Hawaiian marine artist Lionel Walden during the 1920s.  She also studied in New York, and traveled to Paris at least four times to further her art education, including an extended stay in the 1930s. In addition to a stint at the Académie Julian, her teachers in Paris included André Lhote.  Her 1927 trip to Paris resulted in one of her paintings beings exhibited there in the Spring Salon.

Moonlight, Diamond Head, Waikiki Beach, Oahu, Hawaii (1934)

Courtesy of American Eagle Fine Art

(oil on canvas)

For twenty-three years Russell taught art at President William McKinley High School in Honolulu, where her students included Satoru Abe and John Chin Young.  She also taught art at the University of Hawaii and at the Honolulu Museum of Art, where she had three one-woman exhibitions of her paintings.  She continued to paint almost daily until her death in Honolulu in 1985 at age 98.  Although her work was generally representational (albeit with occasional cubist influences), she was a staunch supporter of abstract art and was part of a group of painters who helped bring Hawaiian art under the influence of the Modernist movement.

Banners for Boy's Day Against the Blue Sky (c. 1935)

Courtesy of the Honolulu Museum of Art

(oil on canvas)

In the mid-1930s, Russell traveled to the Far East, visiting at least Japan and China.  Russell's granddaughter believes that she traveled to the Far East a number of times, so this may not necessarily have been her first or only trip to Asia.  (At some point, either during the course of this trip or some other trip, she also exhibited some of her paintings in Tokyo.)  While in Tokyo, it appears that she made contact with the Japanese woodblock print publisher Watanabe Shôzaburô, who would publish a number of prints that she designed in the 1935-1936 time period.  Russell’s introduction to Watanabe came through Charles W. Bartlett, who had worked with Watanabe in the teens and twenties.  Since only 12 of Russell's approximately 16 woodblock prints are listed in one of Watanabe's notebooks, Russell may have hired Watanabe to create some additional prints on some subsequent visit to Tokyo, or she may have commissioned them long distance from Hawaii, as most of Bartlett's post-WWI prints had been.  In fact, since publisher information on Russell's prints is strangely absent on all copies of Russell's woodblock prints that I have seen, it's possible that she used a different publisher altogether for a minority of her prints.

 

White Anthurium, Hawaii

Courtesy of American Eagle Fine Art

(oil on canvas)

The majority of Russell’s woodblock prints are tropical botanicals, usually depicted in extreme close-up.  However, she did design a couple of Hawaiian landscapes as well as one California scene.   The prints below marked with an asterisk were published by Watanabe, although it is likely that he published one or more of the remaining designs as well.  Light and dark background versions of many of Russell's woodblock print designs exist.  While I have illustrated below the variants known to me at this time, no doubt other variants are bound to turn up.  Some copies of Russell's prints are numbered, sometimes with an edition size which I have indicated if it is known to me.  When prints are numbered without an edition size, more often than not the numbers on her prints are frequently confused by dealers as representing the date of the print (e.g., "29" for 1929).

1.* Night Blooming Cereus (listed as "Night Blooming Celeus [sic] Flowers in Hawaii" in Watanabe's notebook)

 Courtesy of www.hanga.com

Courtesy of Michael D. Horikawa Fine Art

(color variant)

2.* White Ginger (listed descriptively as "Ginger (White) Flowers" in Watanabe's notebook) (edition of 50)

(color variant)

3.* Cup of Gold

Courtesy of www.hanga.com

(color variant)

4.* Palm Tree and Diamond Head (aka Hawaiian Moonlight)

5.* Bird of Paradise (edition of 100)

Courtesy of www.hanga.com

6.* Hibiscus

Courtesy of www.hanga.com

(color variant)

7.* Anthuriums (edition of 50)

 Courtesy of the Cedar Street Gallery

Courtesy of www.hanga.com

(color variant)

 

Original watercolor for the print "Anthuriums"

Personal Collection

Another watercolor for the print "Anthuriums"

Courtesy of www.zoofence.com

8.* Shell Ginger (listed descriptively as "Pink Ginger" in Watanabe's notebook)

Courtesy of www.hanga.com

9.* Heliconia

Courtesy of www.hanga.com

Courtesy of the Cedar Street Galleries

(color variant)

10.*  Torch Ginger

Note:  While I have not been able to find an image of this print, Russell's watercolor of the same subject provides a suggestion of what it might look like.

Courtesy of Bonhams

(watercolor on paper)

11.* [White] Orchids

Courtesy of www.hanga.com

12.* Plumeria (edition of 50)

 Courtesy of www.zoofence.com

(color variant)

13. Once Upon A Time

Courtesy of www.hanga.com

14. Banana Flower (edition of 100)

Courtesy of Fujiarts.com

(color variant)

Personal Collection

(color variant)

15. Carmel Mission (edition of 50)

Courtesy of the Annex Galleries

16. Hat Maker (edition of 100)

Personal Collection

While Shirley Russell may have relied upon Watanabe's craftsmen to produce her woodblock prints, she occasionally produced other types of prints on her own.  I've included a few examples below.

The Hawaiian Maid (1922)

(etching)

 

Lauhala Weavers

Courtesy of Manu Antiques

(aquatint etching)

Net Throwers

(serigraph)

Lei Seller
Courtesy of the Robyn Buntin of Honolulu Gallery
(serigraph)

Note: One dealer has called another copy of this print a woodblock print.  I have not had an opportunity to inspect this print in person, but the serigraph designation appears quite plausible to me based on this image.

 

Diamond Head (c. 1930s?)

Personal Collection

(color woodblock print)

 

When I originally posted my write-up on Russell, I had the impression that all of Russell's woodblock prints were made by Watanabe's craftsmen, or at least by craftsmen working for another publisher in Japan.   However, I subsequent found and bought this woodblock print by Russell herself.   Thematically, it is quite similar to the "Palm Tree and Diamond Head (aka Hawaiian Moonlight)" print shown above (not to mention her oil painting Moonlight, Diamond Head, Waikiki Beach, Oahu, Hawaii).  While it certainly lacks the the level of detail in carving and skill in printing that Watanabe's craftsmen were famous for, it is not without charm.  One wonders if it was made before she hired Watanabe to make prints for her, or if she was inspired to try her hand in the medium after working with Watanabe.  I suspect it was printed in extremely small quantities, and I have yet to find another woodblock print design by Russell.

Russell's granddaughter tells me that Russell was quite proud of her woodblock prints, and that they seemed to have figured strongly in her progress as an artist.  Besides Europe and the Far East, she also traveled to Latin America and Turkey.  While traveling alone to remote parts of the globe was hardly the norm for a single woman in the first half of the 20th century, Russell, like a number of other female painter-printmakers profiled on this blog, seemed to relish the opportunity to visit foreign lands and the inspiration that such trips provided for their work.  Her granddaughter credits Russell's daring and feminist attitude as being a significant factor in her artistic wanderlust.

If anyone has any additional information about Shirley Russell's woodblock prints, please let me know.  My thanks to Nancy Russell Nadzo, who is an artist in her own right (www.nancynadzo.com), for graciously reviewing an advance draft of this post and providing me with insights on her grandmother's life.

Self-Portrait (c. 1940s-1950s?)

Courtesy of Cedar Street Galleries

(oil on canvas)

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Dinner Invitation Prints for the Société des Amis de l'Art Japonais

The Société des Amis de l'Art Japonais was founded by the art dealer Siegfried Bing and the noted art collector Charles Gillot in 1892.  The Society's "friends" that first year included the jeweler Henri Vever, art critics Edmond de Goncourt and Théodore Duret, the dealer Tadamasa Hayashi, collectors Georges de Bellio, Alexis Rouart, and Raymond Koechlin, and Japanophile artists such as Félix Régamey, Prosper-Alphonse Isaac, Michael Manzi, and Luigi Chialiva.  Dr. Gabriel-Auguste Ancelet, brother-in-law of Charles Gillot, was the group's secretary and treasurer.

Siegfried Bing (1899)

The membership would gather roughly eight times a year for a dinner meeting where its members would bond over their mutual interest in Japanese art and culture.  No doubt Japanese-theme dinner invitations were created for many of those dinners in the group's formative years.  However, from April 1906 to June 1914, a tradition of creating hand-printed invitations by one of the Society's members on a rotating basis was established, the majority of which were woodblock printed in the Japanese manner.  Other invitations were created in the form of etchings, aquatints, and gypsographs, in addition to the occasional photomechanical print.  These prints were in very small quantities and today are rare collector's items.

Charles Gillot (unknown date)

At least seventeen different artists designed these invitations, with the lion's share being created by Jules Chadel, Prosper-Alphonse Isaac, and Pierre Roche.  Some of the invitations were recreations of ukiyo-e print designs, most of which were printed (and likely carved) by Isaac.  Isaac also printed certain of the woodblock prints that were designed by other artists.

Thank you card (1912) from an unknown member of des Amis de l'Art Japonais

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(watercolor)

As one might expect, these diner invitations often featured Japanese landscapes, figures, and motifs.  Animals, flowers, and still lifes were also favored subjects.  In more than a few cases, art nouveau principles tend to predominate, which should not be particularly surprising given the years in question and the stamp that the recently-deceased Bing would have left on the group.  The Société des Amis de l'Art Japonais would resume after the Great War and continue on through the Twenties, but its influence clearly peaked during during the Edwardian era.

The following are the Society's dinner invitations in chronological order:

Invitation for the April 28, 1906 Meeting by Prosper-Alphonse Issac

Courtesy of Les Arts décoratifs, Maciet

(color woodblock print)

[Marmite et petite serviette japonaise] by Prosper-Alphonse Issac

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Note: I have not been able to locate an image of the invitation used for the May 1906 meeting.

Invitation for the June 26, 1906 Meeting by Prosper-Alphonse Issac

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the November 28, 1906 Meeting by Unknown

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(monochrome etching)

Invitation for the December 27, 1906 Meeting by Jean François Aubertin

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the January 25, 1907 Meeting by Henri Rivière

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the February 23, 1907 Meeting by Maurice Feuillet

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color photomechanical print with gouache highlights)

Invitation for the March 25, 1907 Meeting by Sigisbert Christién Bosch-Reitz

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Note: This print was made in Japan.  For more information about Bosch-Reitz and this print design, see my earlier article on Bosch-Reitz.

Invitation for the April 23, 1907 Meeting by Adolphe Giraldon

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the May 29, 1907 Meeting by Utagawa Hiroshige

Possibly carved and printed by Prosper-Alphonse Isaac

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the June 20, 1907 Meeting by Henri Saladin

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color photomechanical print)

Invitation for the November 18, 1907 Meeting

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(facsimile reproduction of an Invitation for the March 12, 1892  and April 9, 1892 Meetings)

Invitation for the December 17, 1907 Meeting by Prosper-Alphonse Issac

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the January 15, 1908 Meeting by Pierre Roche

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color gypsograph print)

Invitation for the February 20, 1908 Meeting by Unknown

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the March 20, 1908 Meeting by George Auriol

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

 

Invitation for the April 11, 1908 Meeting by Shunbi Noguchi

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the May 18, 1908 Meeting by Luigi Chialiva

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print) 

Invitation for the June 16, 1908 Meeting by Yanagawa Shigenobu

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color photomechanical print)

Schedule for 1908-1909 Meetings by Shunbi Noguchi

Printed and carved by Prosper-Alphonse Isaac

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the November 23, 1908 Meeting by Charles-Louis Houdard

(after a design by Katsushika Hokusai)

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color etching)

Invitation for the December 22, 1908 Meeting by Jean François Aubertin

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the January 26, 1909 Meeting by Pierre Roche

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color gypsograph print)

Invitation for the February 18, 1909 Meeting by Jules Chadel

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Note: The number 25 on this print refers to the fact that this is the 25th meeting invitation.   Some authorities attribute this design to Prosper-Alphonse Isaac or to both Chadel and Isaac, which suggests that Isaac may have at least printed the invitation.  Chadel also used this design for a menu (which bears his seal).

Invitation for the March 28, 1909 Meeting by Pierre Roy

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the April 24, 1909 Meeting by Unknown

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

 

Invitation for the May 24, 1909 Meeting by Unknown

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the June 22, 1909 Meeting by Jacques Beltrand

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the November 18, 1909 Meeting by Prosper-Alphonse Isaac

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the December 18, 1909 Meeting by Jules Chadel

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Note: This design was also used for a menu.

Invitation for the January 18, 1910 Meeting by Prosper-Alphonse Isaac

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the February 18, 1910 Meeting by Pierre Roche

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color gypsograph print)

Invitation for the February 18, 1910 Meeting by Ferdinand (Pierre) Roche

Courtesy of www.estampesmartinez.fr/

(color gypsograph print)

Note: This print is undated and could have been made for a different meeting in a different year.

Invitation for the March 18, 1910 Meeting by Charles-Louis Houdard

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color etching with aquatint)

Invitation for the April 18, 1910 Meeting by Adolphe Giraldon

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the May 18, 1910 Meeting by Maurice Feuillet

Printed by Mayer Riefstahl

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the June 18, 1910 Meeting by Jean Aubertin

Printed by Prosper-Alphonse Isaac

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the November 10, 1910 Meeting by Kitao (Keisai) Masayoshi

Carved and printed by Prosper-Alphonse Isaac

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the December 9, 1910 Meeting by Unknown

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the January 10, 1911 Meeting by Jules Chadel

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print and laminated photograph)

Note: A version of this print exists (without text or the photograph) that was printed by Prosper-Alphonse Isaac.

Invitation for the February 10, 1911 Meeting by Pierre Roche

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color gypsograph print)

Invitation for the March 10, 1911 Meeting by Adolphe Giraldon

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color photomechanical print)

Invitation for the April 10, 1911 Meeting by Charles-Louis Houdard

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color etching with aquatint)

Invitation for the May 10, 1911 Meeting by Jules Chadel

Printed by Prosper-Alphonse Isaac

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the June 10, 1911 Meeting by Kitao (Keisai) Masayoshi

Carved and printed by Prosper-Alphonse Isaac

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Schedule for 1911-1912 Meetings by Unknown

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the November 22, 1911 Meeting by Jules Chadel

Printed by Prosper-Alphonse Isaac

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Note: The number 47 on this print refers to the fact that this is the 47th meeting invitation.

Invitation for the December 22, 1911 Meeting by Jean François Aubertin

Printed by Prosper-Alphonse Isaac

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Note: One authority indicates that this print was carved by Jules Chadel.

Invitation for the January 22, 1912 Meeting by Tessan

Printed by Shimbi Shoin

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color photomechanical print)

Note:  Although the Bibliothèque Nationale de France has characterized this piece as a photomechanical print, given Shimbi Shoin's involvement one can't help but wonder if it isn't a woodblock print.

Invitation for the February 22, 1912 Meeting by Pierre Roche

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color gypsograph print)

Invitation for the March 22, 1912 Meeting by Charles-Louis Houdard

Printed by Prosper-Alphonse Isaac

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the April 22, 1912 Meeting by George Auriol

Printed by Prosper-Alphonse Isaac

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

 

Invitation for the May 22, 1912 Meeting by Adolphe Giraldon

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color photomechanical print heightened with watercolor)

Invitation for the June 21, 1912 Meeting by Henri Saladin

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color photomechanical print)

Schedule for 1912-1913 Meetings by Unknown

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(watercolor)

 

Invitation for the November 18, 1912 Meeting by Jules Chadel

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the December 14, 1912 Meeting by Mokuchu Urushibara

Printed by Prosper-Alphonse Isaac

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Note:  Although the Bibliothèque Nationale de France attributes this print to Urushibara, the seal on this print is not a recognized seal for Urushibara.

Invitation for the January 14, 1913 Meeting by Prosper-Alphonse Isaac

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the February 14, 1913 Meeting by Pierre Roche

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(gypsograph print)

 

Invitation for the March 14, 1913 Meeting by Charles-Louis Houdard

Printed by Prosper-Alphonse Isaac

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the April 14, 1913 Meeting by Bernard Naudin

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(woodblock print)

Invitation for the May 14, 1913 Meeting by Prosper-Alphonse Isaac

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Note:  This design was also used for a menu.

Invitation for the June 14, 1913 Meeting by Adolphe Giraldon

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color photomechanical print)

Note: The meeting date was subsequently changed to June 20, 1913.

This print by Mokuchu Urushibara was made to be purchased with contributions
following the June 20, 1913 dinner attended by members of Les Amis de l'Art Japonais.

Personal Collection

(color woodblock print)

Note: Katherine Martin of the Scholten Gallery in New York City has noted that this print is a recarved version of an early print made by Takahashi Shotei.  Once can read more about this here.

 

Invitation for the October 21, 1913 Meeting by Pierre Roche

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color gypsograph print)

Invitation for the November 27, 1913 Meeting by Jules Chadel

Printed by Prosper-Alphonse Isaac

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Note: I have not been able to locate an image of the invitation used for the December 1913 meeting.

Invitation for the January 27, 1914 Meeting by Jules Chadel

Printed by Prosper-Alphonse Isaac

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color woodblock print)

Invitation for the February 17, 1914 Meeting

Carved by Prosper-Alphonse Isaac; printed by Mokuchu Urushibara

Courtesy of Ader Nordmann

(color woodblock print)

Note:  This invitation bears that same seal as on the December 14, 1912 invitation above that the Bibliothèque Nationale de France attributes to Urushibara.  However, this is not a recognized seal for Urushibara.

Invitation for the March 27, 1914 Meeting by Pierre Roche

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color gypsograph print)

Note: I have not been able to locate images of the invitations used for the April or May 1914 meetings.

Invitation for the June 26, 1914 Meeting by Adolphe Giraldon

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

(color photomechanical print)

Of course, the Société des Amis de l'Art Japonais was not the only association of its kind at the time to have woodblock printed invitations for its group.   For example, Prosper-Alphonse Isaac and Mokuchu Urushibara collaborated on this print for the Société Franco-Japonaise de Paris:

Invitation for the Société Franco-Japonaise de Paris (1912)

by Prosper-Alphonse Isaac and Mokuchu Urushibara

Personal Collection

(colored woodblock print)

If anyone has any information about the missing Société des Amis de l'Art Japonaismenu designs, please let me know.

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