America - Utagawa Hiroshige II

A 1861 woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige II depicting an imaginative interpretation of a Native American woman on horseback in the snow.

This woodblock print, titled 'America', is part of the series 'Thirty-six Views of Foreign Countries' (Gaikoku zukushi) published in 1861. Utagawa Hiroshige II, a student of the master Hiroshige, produced this work during a period when Japan was beginning to open its borders to international trade and cultural exchange. The print reflects the curiosity of the Edo period public regarding distant lands, often interpreted through the lens of contemporary Japanese artistic conventions.

The composition depicts a figure identified as a Native American woman mounted on horseback. The artist employs a stylised approach, placing the rider against a backdrop of snow-laden pine branches. The figure wears a dark, heavy coat and a feathered headdress, elements that represent the artist's imaginative interpretation of foreign attire. The horse is rendered in a deep brown, contrasting with the cool blue tones of the snowy environment. White flecks of snow are scattered across the scene, adding texture to the flat, graphic planes of the print.

Technically, the work demonstrates the precision of the woodblock medium, with clear outlines and a controlled colour palette. The cartouche in the upper right corner contains the title in kanji, a standard feature of the series. This print offers a view into the mid-nineteenth-century Japanese perception of the Americas, combining traditional ukiyo-e techniques with the exoticism of the era. It remains a curious example of how international subjects were adapted into the established visual language of the Japanese print market.