Details

In this charming work, the artist shows a parade of kimono-clad children crossing the famed half-moon-shaped bridge at Kameido. Though the bridge has been the subject of countless Japanese prints, the vast majority of those designs have portrayed the bridge in a very generous scale. In fact, the bridge is quite modest and is much closer to Hyde’s depiction. Taking this into account, a design full of unaccompanied children crossing this structure is not as farfetched or whimsical as one might imagine. 

It is interesting to observe how the winds of influence carry. Hyde became interested in Japan through Japonisme, Ukiyo-e, and the paintings of Mary Cassatt. It’s instructive to see this work through this prism—a traditional Western artistic theme reintroduced through a design brimming with Asian aesthetics and a native Japanese printmaking medium.

Connoisseur's Note

This print is among Helen Hyde’s earliest works. The design was conceived and executed contemporaneously to the work of Marry Cassatt and other Western artists producing Japonisme that was directly influenced by Asia, particularly Japan. This impression was printed in Japan while Hyde took up residency in Tokyo. The print is in an exceedingly fine state of preservation.