Skip to main contentProvenanceThe artist
Margo Pollins Schab, Inc., New York, New York
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1996
Exhibition HistoryPublished References
Helen Hyde
(American, 1868–1919)
Moon Bridge at Kameido
1914
Color woodcut on cream Japanese gampi paper
Block: 13 5/16 x 8 15/16 in. (33.8 x 22.7 cm)
Sheet: 15 15/16 x 10 1/4 in. (40.5 x 26 cm)
Mat: 20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
Sheet: 15 15/16 x 10 1/4 in. (40.5 x 26 cm)
Mat: 20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
Credit LineTerra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection
Object number1996.25
SignedIn graphite, lower right: Helen Hyde; in block, lower left: HH [monogram]; in block, lower left in green ink: Copyright, 1914, by Helen Hyde
InterpretationHelen Hyde's Moon Bridge at Kameido presents a glimpse of a dramatically arched bridge on which six children, dressed in colorful kimonos, can be seen beyond a fringe of cascading wisteria blossoms. The powerful curve of the bridge and the rigidity of the supports below it contrast with the delicacy of the patterns on the children's garments and in the hanging fronds that partly screen them from view. Most of the lower left area of the print is blank; the lower left corner is anchored by the artist's monogram and clover-leaf emblem. The asymmetrical composition, with the subject pushed up toward the top of the picture, and the interplay of densely detailed areas with blank, open space demonstrates the inspiration of the ukiyo-e woodcut prints that Hyde studied and emulated. The subject of the arched bridge in particular recalls works by Japan's great traditional printmakers, such as Ando Hiroshige (1797–1858). Yet Hyde's treatment of this picturesque subject, shown from an exaggerated vantage point from below, made it distinctly her own.
Along with The Sauce-Pan Shop (TF 1996.27), Moonlight on the Viga Canal (TF 1996.26), and The Bath (TF 1996.24), Moon Bridge at Kameido is one of many woodcut prints Hyde made in Japan, where she studied the composition and technique of traditional Japanese prints. This print was made shortly before Hyde left Japan, where she had lived since 1901, and it was among her last. After she resettled in Chicago around 1915 to be near her family, she stopped making woodcuts due to ill health. Nevertheless, her prestige as a printmaker grew as her prints were featured in several important exhibitions before her death.
Along with The Sauce-Pan Shop (TF 1996.27), Moonlight on the Viga Canal (TF 1996.26), and The Bath (TF 1996.24), Moon Bridge at Kameido is one of many woodcut prints Hyde made in Japan, where she studied the composition and technique of traditional Japanese prints. This print was made shortly before Hyde left Japan, where she had lived since 1901, and it was among her last. After she resettled in Chicago around 1915 to be near her family, she stopped making woodcuts due to ill health. Nevertheless, her prestige as a printmaker grew as her prints were featured in several important exhibitions before her death.
Margo Pollins Schab, Inc., New York, New York
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1996
Exhibition History
Domestic Bliss: Family Life in America, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, April 12–June 22, 1997.
(Re)Presenting Women, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, October 16, 2001–January 13, 2002.
(Re)Presenting Women, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, October 16, 2001–January 13, 2002.
Mason, Tim and Lynn Mason. Helen Hyde. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1991. No. 120, p. 111; ill. p. 67.
