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Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Print of an American Steamer in a Japanese Harbor
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

Print of an American Steamer in a Japanese Harbor

Artifact IDMO 1942.239.18
Object Type Print
Artist (Japanese printmaker, active 1850-1870)
Dateca. 1853
MediumPaper (laid), Ink, Paint
Dimensionsoverall H 14 5/8 in x W 29 3/4 in (37.1 cm x 75.6 cm )

Physical DescriptionA Japanese color woodblock print, in three sections, of a United States steam frigate in a Japanese harbor. It depicts a side view of a three-masted sailing ship, at full sail in open water, steam issuing from the smokestack. An American flag flies at the center mast. In the water behind the ship are other three-masted sailing vessels, as well as single-masted Japanese boats. A partial shoreline is seen in the right background. The print is undated.

Japanese text in the upper right translates to read: American steamship. Length 40 Ken. Width 6 Ken. Additional Japanese text in the lower left translates to: Painted by Ichikawa Yoshikazu.
Historical NoteThis print depicts American frigates in a Japanese harbor during Commodore Matthew Perry's visit in 1853. Following Perry's expedition to Japan, the printmaker, Ichikawa Yoshikazu, was one of the artists who accompanied the first Japanese mission to the United States in 1860.
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteDeposited at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum by Franklin D. Roosevelt on March 28, 1942. It was donated as a bequest of FDR to the Library in 1947.
Credit LineEstate of Franklin D. Roosevelt
Use Restriction StatusUnrestricted
CopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
In Collection(s)
Not on view
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