The Matsumoto Line By Mail Catalogue of The Matsumoto Print Works, Nagoya, Japan
[Japan] Scarce catalogue in English for the Matsumoto Print works founded by Matsumoto Sogo (1877-1945), who travelled to Paris in 1900 for the World's Fair. There he met US artist, James McNeill Whistler, who encouraged him to respect the traditional arts of Japan. Matsumoto received his Masters of Arts from Yale in 1901, and by 1906 was living in New York City. On his return to Japan sometime after 1906, he was disappointed to find that lithography was driving Japanese woodblock print artists out of business so he founded The Matsumoto Print Works, a mail-order business in Nagoya that published and sold woodblock prints as well as decorated towels, stencils, fibre paper, drawing brushes, India ink and water colours along with Japanese art and drapery silks, gold and silver leaf, Japanse art books, and educational models. The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, however, appears to have ended his relatively short-lived woodblock print business. Matsumoto studied at Doshisha in Kyoto and Keio University before studying in the US. He was also a businessman and, later, a politician in Mie prefecture. The covers appear to be woodblock printed.
Nagoya: The Matsumoto Print Works, ND (c1910)
pp.[1], 19. 24.2 x 17.7cm
In good condition. Some wear and minor chipping to covers. Internally very good. b38072074
