Puppy 1900 - 1930

Ohara Koson designed this woodblock print of a puppy sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century. It’s a charming image, part of a larger movement in Japan that saw a revival of traditional artistic styles combined with Western influences. This print is a window into the rapidly changing social landscape of Meiji-era Japan. As Japan opened to the West, there was a conscious effort to preserve and promote its cultural heritage while incorporating new ideas and technologies. Koson and other artists were navigating these tensions, finding ways to adapt traditional techniques to modern tastes and markets, with woodblock prints of birds and animals like this one gaining international popularity. To fully understand this work, one might delve into archival records and historical texts that document both the art market and the changing social attitudes towards animals during this period. This helps us appreciate how cultural and institutional forces shape what we see and value in art.