$1,000–$8,000. Common subjects: $1,000–$2,500. Key value factors: Bertha Lum's status as a pioneering Western woodblock printmaker gives her work historical value. Her Art Nouveau-influenced prints are particularly sought after.
Tanabata, the Japanese star festival celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month, provides the subject for this 1912 color woodcut. The festival commemorates the annual meeting of the celestial lovers Orihime (the weaver star, Vega) and Hikoboshi (the cowherd star, Altair), separated by the Milky Way for the rest of the year. Earthly celebrations involve writing wishes on strips of colored paper ([tanzaku](/glossary/tanzaku)) and hanging them from bamboo branches. Lum's print likely depicts some aspect of these festivities — the decorated bamboo, the gathering of celebrants, or the wistful romance of the story itself. The festival's combination of celestial mythology and everyday celebration aligned perfectly with Lum's interest in the places where folklore intersects with lived experience.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Tanabata was created by Bertha Lum in 1912.
Tanabata depicts figures, mythology, and night scenes.
Tanabata measures 37.8 × 18.1 cm.
