What's the story?
Collectors have been wondering about variant Shôtei designs for quite a while.
These two prints are an excellent example.
The seal in the upper right corner, format L in the
seal collection,
is from the horizontal print (M-14 in the
catalog), which I feel
comfortable calling an original Shôtei print, published by Watanabe.
The artist's seal just below, which reads "Fusô", is from the vertical print.
There is no mention of the artist Fusô in any references.
In fact, the word means "Japan".
These prints are too similar to call it a coincidence.
I have considered 2 possible explanations.
Pre- and Post-Earthquake versions?
Watanabe's print publishing business was totally destroyed in the fires which resulted from the
Great Kantô Earthquake of 1923. All of the blocks and finished prints were lost to the fire.
In his 1936 catalog write-up about Takahashi Hiroaki, Watanabe wrote: "After the Disaster,
he produced again with utmost care about one-third of the original numbers, ranging from Small
Card Size up to Three Cuts.".
"Three Cuts" refers to the Mitsugiri-ban format.
Therefore, a possible explanation for these variant prints is that one of these 2 prints is a lost
pre-earthquake version, while the other is the result of reproducing it "with the utmost care".
If this were the case, the vertical print would be the pre-earthquake version,
because the horizontal print is clearly pictured on page 51 of Watanabe's 1936 catalog, as available
for sale, 13 years after the earthquake.
Plagiarism?
On Oban format prints, sometime between 1923 and 1926, Watanabe stopped using his distinctive round
publisher's seal within the image and started using one of several cartouche publisher's seal designs
in the margins.
The explanation for this shift is that Watanabe's commercial success led to
plagiarism of his designs by other print publishers.
The cartouche seals contained an explicit copyright statement, protecting Watanabe's ownership
position.
However, Watanabe never used a copyright message on any of his smaller format prints.
It is my opinion that the vertical print above was plagiarized from the design of the
horizontal print.
Apparently, the use of a Shôtei seal was considered off limits by the publisher, even
though he seems to have considered stealing the design to be OK.
The publisher of the vertical print created an artist's name and seal to make it look legitimate.
Sorting it out...
In this set of example prints ("Spring Evening", M-12 in the catalog), both are sealed Shôtei, and they certainly
show the results of being "produced again with the utmost care".
While it's not immediately apparent, a careful examination (click on the double image for a closer look)
clearly shows that the 2 prints were produced from different sets of blocks.
Therefore, I believe that these are an example of the pre-earthquake / post-earthquake scenario,
both having been published by Watanabe.
The print on the left is displayed on page 51 of the 1936 catalog (post-earthquake).
Therefore, the print on the right would be the pre-earthquake version.
Until there is more evidence about this issue, I will use the following set of rules
when evaluating variant prints:
- If they are both sealed as Shôtei and/or Hiroaki, they must be considered to be pre-earthquake
and post-earthquake versions of the same image, directly designed by Mr. Takahashi.
- If one has a seal not in the seal collection, it is strongly suspect as plagiarized. It's probably still
a very nice print, but it's not the real goods.
- No print image will be accepted into the catalog unless it bears a recognized seal.
Please see the Recognizing pre- vs. post-earthquake prints page
for a discussion of some of the possible strategies which can be used to determine which is which.
More examples of variant designs
O-29 & C-7. Moonrise at Tokumochi
The oban print on the left, O-29, is margin dated April, 1922.
The chuban print to the right, C-7, is listed as #197 in the Watanabe 1936 catalog.
I am calling these a pre- and post-earthquake set.
|
C-3. Moon rising at Naganuma
The chuban print above, sealed by Shotei, was published by Watanabe.
The knock-off print below is unsigned and unsealed.
|
C-8. Chrysanthemums in red vase
Both of these prints are sealed "Shôtei" and were post-war productions of Watanabe.
|
C-9. Night scene of Mabashi, near Tokyo
The chuban print on the left, sealed by Shotei, was published by Watanabe.
The knock-off print on the right is from a notecard and is unsigned and unsealed.
|
C-21 & S-3. Temple of Kinugasa
The chuban print on the left, C-21, sealed by Hiroaki, was published by Watanabe.
The koban print in the middle, S-3, sealed by Shôtei, was also published by Watanabe,
who listed it as #164 in their 1936 catalog.
The mitsugiri-ban print to the right is unsigned, unsealed, and a clear knock-off.
|
C-29. Peddler in the snowy night
The chuban print on the left, C-29, sealed by Hiroaki, was published by Watanabe.
The print to the right above is sealed Seki and a knock-off.
The smaller print below is sealed Tomoe which was a name used by Watanabe for knock-off prints
of Shôtei designs.
It's a mystery why Watanabe would associate a non-existent artist's name with a legitimate Shôtei
design for which he held the copyright.
|
M-1. Nagareyama
The print on the left is M-1 in the Shôtei catalog.
The print to the right is titled "Sagamigawa"; the artist's seal reads "Sekiyo" which means setting sun.
It's a definite knock-off print.
Adding more symbols (i.e. Fuji) to "enhance" a design was a common ploy by plagiarist publishers.
See M-87 (below) for a couple of horizontal variants of this design.
|
M-3. Katsushika
Both of these prints have a Shôtei seal, so I'm calling them a pre-/post-earthquake set.
The one to the left is creped, but clearly shows a crescent moon.
The version on the right has no moon.
Using the rarity strategy,
to determine which is which, let's keep track of sightings.
Crescent Moon Sightings:
1. Collection of Wayland Rogers
No Moon Sightings:
1. Collection of Bruce Stewart
2. Collection of Marc Kahn
3. Collection of Marc Kahn
4. JPAA Sale #7 - 11/25/00 - Lot 55
5. Hanga.com sales gallery (as of 1/29/02)
6. "Collector's Value Guide to Japanese Woodblock Prints", p.120
7. Hotei Japanese Print Catalog #17
8. Collection of Laura Gutman
9. JPAA Sale #10 - 6/1/02 - Lot 195
10. Collection of Thomas Crosssland
11. AllinsonGallery.com
12. Collection of Chuck Meier
13. www.asianartschmitz.de online gallery
14. Collection of Bill Schwed
Please Help:
If you have any sightings of either of these images to report, please
let me know.
|
M-4. Cold Winter Wind
The print in the middle, with Shôtei seal E, is legitimate.
The print on the left is creped.
The characters in the
seal
resemble Shôtei's name, but are too indistinct to say with certainty.
The title (Cold Winter Wind) is the same as the print in the middle.
The one on the right is entitled "Wind blowing at Tsukuba", and is sealed "Shiwasu" which means "Year End".
My thoughts: I think that the print on the left is truly a Shôtei print. If that's so, it is
probably the pre-earthquake version, based on rarity (I've only seen this version once).
That would make the middle print the post-earthquake version.
The print on the right is a knock-off.
|
M-5. Returning woman in an autumn evening
The print on the left is from the
1910 Weeks family scrapbook
and so, is a pre-earthquake print.
The fan-shaped cartouche contains the number 42.
The print on the right is the post-earthquake version and is in the Shôtei catalog as M-5.
The print in the middle seems to share more carved woodblocks with the early one (see the shape of the trees
and the path leading to the rising moon). Therefore, I'm calling the middle print a pre-quake variant.
|
M-6 & K-8. Evening at Shinagawa
The 2 prints on the left, each with the Kakei seal, are variants of K-8 in the Kakei catalog.
Since the "Kakei" name was used only in the very early years of Watanabe's publishing business,
I'm thinking that these are both pre-earthquake version prints.
Please see the Kakei page to understand
why I think that "Kakei" is an art name used by Takahashi Shôtei.
The third print, with Shôtei seal L, is the post-earthquake version.
The one on the right, with the unrecognizable seal, is clearly plagiarized with the same design
elements in slightly different positions.
The existence of 2 different versions of Kakei-sealed prints introduces some doubt into my
major hypothesis that recarved blocks indicate a pre-/post-earthquake set and my other hypothesis
that all works marked Kakei are pre-earthquake
The scenario about how this happened which most fits my model is that this was a popular image in
the early years, but the keyblock cracked and was made unusable, so sometime before the earthquake,
they recarved the block set.
However, caveat emptor. At the end of the day, these are all just guesses. Hopefully, they're
good guesses.
|
M-7. Edomisaka
Each of these prints have a Shôtei seal.
The most obvious difference is that the ones on the right have the moon.
The one on the far right has a dog in the lower left.
Also, the ones on the right have a title above the seal, indicating that they might be the post-earthquake
version. But that's not a strong argument.
In April 2003, a much stronger case was made for the one on the left to be identified as
the pre-quake version.
Some folks got in touch with me to tell me about two prints, M-7 and M-9, which have been
in their family since 1920.
Their great-aunt was a missionary in Japan who died of typhoid in the early 1920s.
These prints were a gift to her sister, the grandmother of the family.
The M-9 is definitely pre-quake, with the moon opening to the right.
Both prints are in the original mounting, each with a note about the gift dated 1920.
Having heard this case, I am now calling the moon-less version a pre-earthquake print.
Proof by provenance, thanks to the Smith family of Columbus, Ohio!
The print on the far right is a rare variant which, on close inspection, appears to have
been printed from predominantly the same block-set as the middle print.
Look at the woodgrains in the sky around the moon, and the calligraphy in the title.
But what about the dog?
My best guess is that the dog was on the original state of the post-quake block-set.
Shortly after the initial printing, perhaps because there was a problem with the key-block
lines on the dog, he got carved away.
I've only seen one copy with the dog included, this one, courtesy of Judy Buntin.
|
M-8. Shower at Terashima, passersby frustrated
The two prints on the left are both sealed Shôtei.
The second (from the left) image appears on page 55 of the 1936 catalog.
Therefore, I'm calling the print on the far left a pre-earthquake version.
The two prints on the right are knock-offs.
The first one (third from the left) has a seal which reads "Hokusai".
The seal on the rightmost one reads "Gyô".
|
M-9. Evening glow at Sakawa bridge
The print on the left has Shôtei seal "P" while the one on the right has seal "L".
According to my rules these are, therefore, a pre- and post-earthquake set.
Notice how the moon opens up in different directions.
In the 1936 Watanabe catalog, on page 52, is a picture of the print on the right.
So, the print on the left is the pre-earthquake version.
|
M-10. Sudden shower at Takaido; passengers at a loss
The print on the left has Shôtei seal "L" while the one on the right has seal "A".
According to my rules these are, therefore, a pre- and post-earthquake set.
The one on the right is creped and came from the same source with 2 other positively identified creped pre-earthquake prints.
Therefore, I'm calling the one on the left post-earthquake; the one on the right pre-earthquake.
|
M-11. Sawatari in Joshu District
Both of these prints have Shôtei seals, and one of them seems to have been reproduced "with the utmost care".
So, I'm calling them a pre- and post-earthquake set. How can we tell which is which?
Looking at the shape of the path between the hiker and the building, we'll call the one on the left
"Straight Path" and the one on the right "Crooked Path".
Using the rarity strategy,
to determine which is which, let's keep track of sightings.
Straight Path Sightings:
1. Morra-JapaneseArt.com
2. JPAA Sale #7 - 11/25/00 - Lot 68
3. FloatingWorld.com
4. ArtOfJapan.com
5. Collection of Laura Gutman
6. Collection of William O'Rorke
7. Hotei's sale catalogue #17
8. Collection of Wayland Rogers
9. JapanesePrints.net
10. Collection of Jim Roche
11. Ukiyoe-gallery.com
12. Collection of Bill Schwed
13. Ebay auction; rdeals; 12/20/03
14. Artelino auction #141; 10/31/04
15. Ebay auction; 3764342593; 11/28/04
Crooked Path Sightings:
1. Collection of Laura Gutman
2. JapanesePrints.net
3. Collection of Raymond Passaro
Please Help:
If you have any sightings of either of these images to report, please
let me know.
|
M-12. Spring Evening
The print to the left is the pre-earthquake version of M-12 (see above for an explanation of both the pre- and post-earthquake versions).
The print in the middle is unsigned and unsealed.
However, a kind contributor has sent me a picture of another copy from the same blocks with the
artist's signature "Hiroshige".
The print to the right is yet another variant, with an unread seal. The title on this print is "Yayoi"
which signifies the month of March on the lunar calendar.
This design, or something very similar, was originally done by Hiroshige, as part of a larger print.
So, if there was any plagiarism involved, the plagiarists would be Takahashi Shôtei and his publisher
Watanabe Shôzaburô.
Judging from the number of copies which show up for sale, this was a very popular print, which caused it
to be copied yet again by other publishers.
I doubt whether we will ever completely sort out the versions of this design.
|
M-14. Mt. Fuji in mist; mountain pass in front
The print on top is from the
1910 Weeks family scrapbook
and so, is a pre-earthquake print.
The middle print, M-14 in the catalog, is pictured in the 1936 Watanabe catalog and is the post-earthquake
version.
The print below is a rarely seen color variant of the post-quake version.
Each of these prints has a Shôtei seal.
|
M-15 and M-16. Night Shower at Izumi bridge
The 2 horizontal prints above have Shôtei seals and were both published by
Watanabe. Both of these prints are in the Robert O. Muller collection with the notations of pre-
and post-earthquake.
The lower one (M-15) is the pre-earthquake edition.
The upper one (M-16) is from after the disaster.
The vertical print is signed by "Hiroshige" and is a knock-off of M-15.
|
M-17. A Starlight Night
The print on the top, with the seal displayed, is in the Shôtei catalog as M-17.
I haven't had a chance to examine the seal on the print below. The jury is out on that one.
|
M-18. Inume Pass
The print on the left is in the Shôtei catalog as M-18.
The print on the right was listed in the JPAA 10th Sale on June 1, 2002.
The seal above is from the print on the right.
I have been informed by Ivo Galli that while he is unable to get me a scan, he has a copy
of M-18 (the print on the left) and that it has Shôtei seal A, which is the same pattern
as the seal above.
Are these a pre-/post-earthquake set, or perhaps one keyblock with some re-carved color blocks?
It's hard to say. I would very much like to examine these side-by-side with a magnifying lens.
|
M-19. Yushima-Tenjin Shrine
Comparing the patterns of the clouds in the sky, it is clear that all 3 of these prints came from
different blocks.
The seal on the print to the left probably reads Meisetsu, but it could be translated as Meisen or Meiju.
The center print is clearly sealed as a Shôtei print.
The seal on the print to the right reads Gyô, the same as one of the M-32 prints.
In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, I'm calling the Gyô prints knock-offs.
Same for the Meisetsu.
The middle print is the only legitimate one of the three.
|
M-21. Hunting Fireflies in Cool Breeze
The print to the left has Shôtei seal L. The print to the right, with no seal, is plagiarized.
In December, 2001 a copy of the plagiarized print came up for sale on ebay.
It had a title and seal which are shown above, to the right.
Title was "Tama River in Evening". The artist's seal read "Hazuki".
|
M-23. Fireworks, Shubinomatsu
The print on the left has Shôtei seal L and is titled "Ogawa, Shubinomatsu".
I can't make out the seal on the middle print, titled "Fireworks at Ryogoku" (see M-51).
The print on the right has no markings at all.
I suspect that the 2 prints to the right are both plagiarized.
|
M-24. Thunderstorm at Tateishi
The print on the left has a clear Shôtei seal.
The print on the right, from an online auction, was attributed by the auction company to Shôtei.
The seal is unclear, but it doesn't resemble any of the Shôtei seals in the collection of seals.
I'm calling it a knock-off.
|
M-26. Inari Shrine at Oji; peddler and woman
In the Watanabe catalog, this print (#225) is described as "Inari Shrine at Oji; pedler and woman"
The print to the left shows a peddler, a woman, and what is probably Shôtei seal L.
The print to the right, a plagiarized design with no peddler, is sealed "Hokusai".
|
M-27. Cherry blossoms at Sumida bank in the rain
The print to the left has a Shôtei seal.
It's not legible here, but I have seen it, so I know it's for real.
The print to the right, a very accurately reproduced knock-off, is sealed "Gyô".
|
M-32. Snow at Asakusa
The print at the right is an extremely well done knock-off. The seal reads Gyô.
You really have to look closely to
see that they are printed from different blocks. I have included some high-res details for comparison.
If you compare the snowflake pattern against the red wall of the pagodas, the branches in the trees,
and the white dots on the black stones in the wall, you can see that they are
certainly different. However, the re-carving was very carefully and skillfully done.
|
M-42. Cherry blossoms at Ueno Toshugo Shrine
The print on the left is in the Shotei catalog as M-42, even though I've never seen the seal.
That's a bit dangerous, but the attribution rings true, so I've stepped out on a limb.
The seal on the one to the right, titled "Nikko Toshugo", reads "Rakutsuki" or "Gaggetsu"
and it is an obvious knock-off.
|
M-49. Snowy night with hazy moon
The print on the left has a Hiroaki seal.
The seal on the one in the middle is unread, but certainly not either Shôtei or Hiroaki.
The postcard sized print is unsealed.
I'm calling the 2 prints on the right knock-offs.
|
M-58 and P-18. Rural dance at the Feast of Lanterns
The print on the left, P-18, is signed "Hiroaki" and has a Rakutei seal.
I don't have a clear enough picture of the seal of M-58, the print on the right to present it here,
but I'm comfortable identifying it as a legitimate Shôtei print.
The pillar print format was not used by Shôtei after the earthquake, so P-18 is the pre-
quake image. M-58, the post-quake print, is in Watanabe's 1936 catalog as inventory number 565.
|
M-67. Evening at Tone River
The print above has a Shôtei seal along with the distinctive 5-petaled flower cartouche
containing the number 9, making it a very early pre-earthquake print.
At 5" x 10", it is not mitsugiri-ban like
the print below, the post-earthquake edition, which has Shôtei seal Q.
|
M-69. Ohashi Bridge in Snow
The print on the left has a Shôtei seal with a numbered cartouche (47).
This dates the print as very early (circa 1910), and certainly pre-earthquake.
The print on the right also has a Shôtei seal, not legible here, but I've seen it
myself, so I know it's there.
Notice the addition of the diagonal framing members.
This is the post-earthquake edition, much more commonly seen.
|
M-72. Sudden Shower
The print on the left has seal A. Below the seal, contained in a fan shaped cartouche is the number "46",
indicative of a pre-earthquake (and probably pre-1910) print.
The seal on the print in the middle reads Shôtei, making these a pre- and post-earthquake set.
The smaller, creped print, with the integral "matting", is a knock-off, signed "Hiroshige" with
an unread seal.
|
M-76. Rain at Igusa
This seems to be a pre/post earthquake set, but which is which?
The upper print, titled "Igusa no Ame", has the Shôtei seal shown on the left.
The owner of the lower print wasn't able to scan the seal for me, but was kind enough to draw the
title and seal.
The title is simply "Igusa"
Using the rarity strategy,
to determine which is which, let's keep track of sightings.
"Igusa no Ame" Sightings:
1. Collection of Marc Kahn
"Igusa" Sightings:
1. Huys den Esch (June, 2002)
|
M-87. Edo River
Both of these prints have Shôtei seals.
In the journal of the International Ukiyo-e Society, Ukiyo-e Art, Number 149, there is an
extensive article on Shôtei, written by Shimizu Hisao, of the Ota-ku Folk Museum.
Shimizu-san, in a discussion of these 2 prints, is calling the lower print (titled "Nagareyama")
a pre-quake version and the upper print (titled "Edogawa") a post-quake version.
Unfortunately, I haven't yet been able to translate the explanatory text from the original
Japanese to understand his reasoning.
These 2 prints are very similar to M-1 (see above).
The 1936 Watanabe catalog has "Sunset glow at Nagareyama; junks" as print number 201 with a
small vertical rectangular symbol indicating that the print has a vertical orientation.
I have seen the M-1 print many times for sale by galleries and in auction listings,
but the M-87 horizontal format is rarely seen.
My thought is that both of these horizontal prints may be pre-quake variants, but I'm reluctant
to claim that as a certainty until I have a chance to study Shimizu-san's explanatory text.
|
M-92. Rain over Makura Bridge
Both of these prints have Shôtei seal Q.
Additionaly, the print on the top, from the
1910 Weeks family scrapbook
has the 5-petaled flower cartouche containing the number "12".
So the top print is pre-earthquake.
The bottom print is from the Robert O. Muller collection.
I'm thinking that these are from different blocks, but looking at the details of the wall, I
can't say absolutely. There are some differences, but they are very close.
For now, let's call the bottom print a post-earthquake edition.
|
M-107 & K-6. Nihonmatsu
The print on the left is K-6 in the Kakei catalog.
Since the "Kakei" name was used only in the very early years of Watanabe's publishing business,
I have concluded that this is the pre-earthquake version.
Please see the Kakei page to understand
why I think that "Kakei" is an art name used by Takahashi Shôtei.
The middle print, M-107 with Shôtei seal Q, is the post-earthquake version.
However, the print second from the right is an absolutely outrageous knock-off, signed by none other than
Hiroshige. Looking at the Kakei and Shotei versions, it becomes obvious what is needed to sell this
image to tourists. Clearly, it needs Fuji, a rickshaw, and a quaint lamp-post. As the owner of this
print asks, "Where is the rickshaw going? In the water?"
The smaller print, far right, is another Hiroshige-signed knock-off.
|
M-108. Senzoku Pond & C-17. Itako
The houses, their surroundings, and the reflection on the water pull these 2 prints together, making
them variants in my mind.
However, Senzoku Pond is in Tokyo, far from Itako.
I have a copy of each of these prints in my collection.
Examining them both, I am convinced that the chuban Itako is a post-earthquake print and that
the mitsugiri-ban Senzoku Pond is considerably older work, so I'm calling it pre-earthquake.
No hard evidence. That's just the way it feels to me.
|
S-1. River Sumida in snow; houseboat
The print on the left is sealed Shôtei.
The one on the right, sealed "Tomoe", is a knock-off.
|
S-9. Evening glow on pagoda in deep wood
The print on the left is sealed Shôtei.
The one on the right, sealed Rakutei is pictured in the 1936 Watanabe catalog on page 30.
I'm calling these a pre-/post-earthquake set with the one on the left being the pre-quake edition.
|
S-10. Singers of popular songs
The print on the left is sealed Shôtei.
The one on the right, signed Hiroshige, has the seal of the Shima Art Company, well-known source of knock-off prints.
|
S-23, S-44, & S-34. Moonlight at Ohashi bridge
These are all small prints, but they are presented here with relative sizing.
The print on the left is S-23 in the Shôtei catalog.
The seal is from this print.
It contains the cartouche with the number 6, which is evidence of a very early Shôtei print.
Definitely pre-earthquake.
The creped print in the middle is S-44.
It has Watanabe inventory number 547 stamped on the paper to which it is attached.
In the 1936 Watanabe catalog, that number refers to a Shôson print.
Therefore, I am calling S-44 a pre-earthquake print.
On the right is S-34, which was found in a package of Watanabe small print samples, each of which
has a post-earthquake inventory number consistent with the 1936 catalog either stamped or hand-written
on the backing paper.
This one is #54 (hand-written), and is a post-earthquake edition.
For a discussion about how to use Watanabe's inventory numbers to determine whether a print is pre- or
post-earthquake,
click here.
|
S-24 & S-52. Fete; Street stalls; Strollers
These are both small prints, presented here with relative sizing.
The print on the left is S-52 in the Shôtei catalog.
It is from the
1910 Weeks family scrapbook
and so, is a pre-earthquake print.
The fan-shaped cartouche contains the number 31.
On the right is S-24, which was found in a package of Watanabe small print samples, each of which
has a post-earthquake inventory number consistent with the 1936 catalog either stamped or hand-written
on the backing paper.
This one is #792 (hand-written), and is a post-earthquake edition.
|
S-37 & S-55. Rising sun and junks; golden sky
These are both small prints, presented here with relative sizing.
The print on the left is S-55 in the Shôtei catalog.
It is from the
1910 Weeks family scrapbook
and so, is a pre-earthquake print.
The fan-shaped cartouche contains the number 32.
On the right is S-37, which was found in a package of Watanabe small print samples, each of which
has a post-earthquake inventory number consistent with the 1936 catalog either stamped or hand-written
on the backing paper.
This one is #791 (hand-written), and is a post-earthquake edition.
|
S-72. Kanegafuchi in snow; river Sumida
The unsealed, unsigned upper print is recognized as a Shôtei print because it was found with its
inventory number 374 in a Watanabe samples book. The 1936 catalog shows this inventory number to be a
Shôtei print.
The lower print is from a postcard with Watanabe's name on the back as publisher. It has a Shôtei
seal. Both prints have the same Japanese characters in the title. The lower print may be either the pre-earthquake
version of this print, or it may be a variant made by Watanabe for the purpose of publishing postcards.
I lean toward the pre-earthquake interpretation.
|
S-76. Lighthouse
Both of these prints have a Shôtei seal.
In addition, the upper one has the numbered cartouche with the Japanese digit "8", making it a certified
early work.
With such a low number, this is probably very early, circa 1907 or 1908.
The lower print is very similar, but upon close examination you can see that it is from a different
block set. It may be a post-quake edition, or it may be a later pre-quake edition. I don't know.
Copies of either of these images are pretty rare.
|
|
