Images de printemps. Shunga

Series of 8 erotic lithographs depicting Europeans and Japanese women. Famous series by Tomioka Eisen created during the Russo-Japanese War, depicting couplings between Russians (diplomat, bourgeois, soldier, officer) and Japanese women. Chinese printing circa 1920. Japanese soldiers carried shunga collections with them to China and these were later reproduced by the Chinese in lithography, certainly from photographs, what are called photochromes (technique developed in 1888). It was undoubtedly easier to distribute these shunga which did not show Chinese but foreigners, moreover belligerent neighbors. One will note that these images respect the shunga tradition, therefore, the Europeans are dressed in period clothing, the women in traditional Japanese garments. It should also be noted that the title written in Chinese can be read in Japanese.
Chinese wooden scroll. The entire lithography has been mounted on the scroll paper. Title label mounted on Chinese yellow imperial damask silk fabric. Some foxing stains on several images but part of the printing. 2 creases at the beginning of the scroll, another further along.