In light of the upcoming edition of PST ART, the Getty-sponsored initiative that will explore the artistic and cultural exchange between Los Angeles and the Pacific Rim in 2030, the Los Angeles Public Library has taken the time to revisit and process their Japanese Woodblock Prints Collection. The collection began in the 1910s with City Librarian Everett Robbins Perry and his wife Lilla Simmons Perry inspired by New York, Boston and other public libraries to stimulate interest in the graphic arts. The couple developed close relationships with prominent art dealers around Los Angeles. The Perrys collected from Thomas R. Fleming, John C. Bentz., Miss Bella Mabury (a prominent donor of wide ranging decorative and fine arts to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art) and maintained close personal relationships with art collectors such as Judson D. Metzgar. Metzgar later wrote the “Catalogue of the Collection of Japanese Prints Owned by the Los Angeles Public Library” in 1930.

Title page of Catalogue of the Collection of Japanese Prints Owned by the Los Angeles Public Library

Title page and page with certificate of authenticity of Catalogue of the Collection of Japanese Prints Owned by the Los Angeles Public Library (call no.760.995 L879). Images courtesy of Los Angeles Public Library Special Collections.

The most recent activity with the collection was under the previous Collections Manager Romaine Ahlstrom. Under Ahlstrom, the Japanese prints were loaned at least twice for art shows. In 1985, Ahlstrom corresponded with Curator of Education Cathy Gilbert at the Edward-Dean Museum & Gardens to display 44 prints from the Library for an exhibition titled “Japanese Prints: From the Collections of the Los Angeles Public Library.” In 1990, Ahlstrom worked with Central Library Director Elizabeth K. Gay and corresponded with the City of Brea’s Assistant Supervisor of Cultural Arts Marie Sofi to host the exhibition “Visit to Japan” in the city’s art gallery.

Front cover of exhibition catalog for “Japanese Prints: From the Collections of the Los Angeles Public Library” curated by Cathy Gilbert. Images courtesy of Los Angeles Public Library Special Collections.

Since the Library reopened in 1993 following the restoration and expansion after the devastating 1986 fires, the prints have not been displayed. The prints remained accessible to the public in the Japanese Prints Index, a database accessible through the Los Angeles Public Library website. It is with great thanks to Todd Lerew, Director of Special Projects for the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, that these prints are being brought back to public attention.

The collection consists of 317 original prints and reproductions dating anywhere from 1694-1957. The most notable prints include the complete series of Utagawa Hiroshige’s “The Fifty-Three Stages of the Great Tokaido,” Katsushika Hokusai’s “The Great Wave off Kanagawa,” and Kitagawa Utamaro’s various portraits of beautiful women.

Image of Katsushika Hokusai’s “Great Wave off Kanagawa” (1831), woodblock print. Image Courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library Digitization Department

Image of Kitagawa Utamaro’s “Two Women Looking at a Scroll” (undated) woodblock print. Image Courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library Digitization Department

While the prints themselves carry the stories and culture of feudal Japan, the provenance of this collection tells a larger story about the ties between the Japanese American community and Los Angeles. The Library would like to acknowledge the complex influence of Japanese culture on Western arts and culture by making these prints available in-person upon request. Patrons can fill out the Special Collections Appointment Request Form here and also view select images on TESSA, the library’s digital collections page. A finding aid to the collection can be found on the Online Archive of California.