Featured Woodblock print collection questions...

Found in a box...

This appears to be a collection of woodblock prints that were at least in part purchased at the B. Altman & co Gallery in New York. (See photo) they may have sold for $9.95 each. The ad isn't dated.

There's are approximately 40 prints. Most, but not all are numbered and referenced in the booklet shown. I'm not sure if they're all Matsumoto.

Included in the bundle are three Seasons Greeting cards I find especially intriguing! Maybe the were sent to the buyer of all the prints, or maybe they were included in the purchase? They're sweet.

I couldn't find any greeting cards or the booklet online.

Any advice or guidance would be appreciated! Thanks!

Out of my wheelhouse...

 

The MUrrayhill phone number could be useful in dating the ad.

 

And in case you didn't know - B. Altman was a high-end department store, based in NYC. But in addition to the usual lines (clothing, housewares, etc.) they also sold antiques (not that these were old when offered.)

 

As I recall, the early 60's saw the end of most phone letters. Murray Hill and a couple of others seemed to hang on a bit longer than some others, I think.

And, WHY do Japanese snow scenes look so much colder than grandma Moses' works??

 

On the ad it states the prints are from 1760-1860. Wikipedia confirms the names on the ad are from that time period. There are several in the collection that look like Hiroshige (to this untrained eye!), so I was thinking these had some age to them.

Haven't been able to confirm when the phone number is from yet...

B. Altman sounds like it was a nice place!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukiyo-e#

 

Oh...but the booklet says reproductions....hmmmm....

 

I was going to say that they aren't old, but I see you caught on to that.

 

Hi,
Altmans kept the same phone number until they sold. It was the BEST department store in Manhattan. It was the ONLY store to fill an entire block. Macy's tried to claim the title but there was a tiny 15 ft by 20 ft store on the corner. I used to buy all my furniture in Altman's antique center. I went in to buy a dining room table and chairs. The salesman showed me the new dining room furniture and then took me to the antique center and said "you will pay 2 grand for your dining room and in five years it will be worth 2 hundred. Now if you pay 2 grand for this antique set in five years it will be worth 7 thousand." He was soooooooo right. I sold my dining room set 8 years later and it brought 10 grand.
greg

 

They sure look and feel old. The colors on many look pre analine...soft and delicate...except for the greeting card prints.

 

I love that they carried both old and new! I don't know that I've ever seen a store do that! My family always did the same thing, bought old. I'm still using furniture my Mom bought in the 40's -used, and old. Everyone else I know has gone through countless styles of new throw away furniture and I've never had to buy furniture!

 

Marshal Field's in Chicago sold both...............though there were a few "scandals" concerning some alleged antique Aspry of London pieces..................Macy's did away with the Antiques Dept when the bought out Field's a few years ago...........

 

The only problem with this set is the bottom has fallen out of wood block prints.(sigh) On the upside, that means a friend of mine is getting a heckuva Christmas present. (I got him some cheap.) No clue what you're going to do with these, but I'd hoard them in case the prices go up. The B Altman connection ought to help the values.

 

Hoarding works ! Merry Christmas to your friend!

 

Internet Archive has a Matsumoto brochure from c. 1911. As the prints are described both as "reproductions" and "made entirely by hand", I can only assume that the company had new woodblocks cut copying the works of the famous older artists.

https://archive.org/stream/bookofgenuinethi00mats/bookofgenuinethi00mats_djvu.txt

 

This is facininating @architrave! How did you find this? Incredible! This perfectly describes what I felt when looking at the collection. They look and feel much older than something purchased in the last 100 years...because as described in the brochure, they are made in the traditional way with vegetable dyes, probably on mulberry paper.

Thank you!!!!!

 

This is a very common practice and some prints have multiple editions from various publishers over hundreds of years. The prints are done in the traditional manner and the chop seals should help you distinguish the publisher. In this case, you know the publisher, Matsumoto-Do Ltd. From what I can tell, they were in business in the early part of the 20th century which is consistent with that brochure date.

http://www.japanesepotterymarks.info/index.php?woodblock_publisher=12

 

I wonder if the individual artisans are attributed on the prints. They are of varying qualities. I sorted them according to chop and style. There are 32 total. Not all have the numbered Matsumoto stamp on the back.

 

I find it odd that the original artists are not identified in the descriptive list. Most appear to have the artist's name seal on them in Japanese. You should be able to track them down. I see at least two Hiroshige prints ...... The one at center with the bridge in the rain and upper right with the bridge support timers.