“Bird and Blossom” highlights the evolution of prints in Japan from the Edo and ... on entertainment and pleasure, such as mythology and courtesans, or in this case, the beauty of the natural world.

Image credit: Utagawa Kuniaki II, 1835 - 1888 (Japanese), Ōzumō Keiko no zu [Professional Sumo Wrestlers Practicing], 1866, woodcut on paper, 13 3/4 x 9 1/2 inches. Gift of Special Collections, Norlin ...

Prints, in the ukiyo (floating world) style, depict everyday life and pastimes of early 19th-century Japan’s prosperous urban dwellers. Prints are not framed, and borrowers must agree to standards of ...