Bertha Lum

This 1909 woodblock print in oban format represents a self-referential work from Bertha Lum's early mature period, when she had already spent several years studying and practicing woodblock techniques in Japan. Born in Iowa and trained at the Art Institute of Chicago, Lum traveled to Japan in 1903 and apprenticed with woodblock craftsmen, learning the traditional methods of carving and printing that she would adapt into a uniquely personal practice. Unlike most Western artists who collected Japanese prints, Lum cut her own blocks and pulled her own impressions, giving her direct control over every stage of production. By 1909, she was exhibiting internationally and had established herself as a rare Western practitioner of an art form few outsiders had mastered.