Letterpress broadside on decorated Japanese crepe paper measuring 430 by 330mm. Old folds, very small hole to upper left corner and small closed tear towards centre, faint spotting, overall very good. The Hague, M de Hondt, 1894.
An unrecorded broadside from Wild West showman Pawnee Bill's touring show in Europe, printed on exported Japanese crepe paper.
Born in Bloomington, Illinois, Major Gordon Lillie (1860-1942) was one of the pre-eminent American showmen from the turn of the century. His hugely successful shows toured the globe. His wife, Miss May Lillie was a sharpshooter and featured on stage with him as the 'Champion Girl Horseback Shot of the West'. The broadside marvellously advertises the programme for Pawnee Bill's show in the Netherlands, with 24 individual acts including: the Grand Entry of the entire troupe; Major Gordon Lillie, Miss May Lillie, Indians, Mexicans, Cowboys; Pony Express; Travellers attacked by Indians, repelled by cowboys; Shooting practice on horseback at objects thrown into the air, performed by Miss May Lille; The ambush of a caravan by Indians, fight between Indians, Mexicans, and Cowboys; and of course a grand finale.
The contents of the broadside are a stark contrast to the paper it is printed upon. To the bottom left corner there is the mark of its maker, Isetatsu, who were a chiyogami decorative paper-makers and printers based in the city of Edo. The company was founded in 1864 (the tail-end of the Edo period) and still exists today. They have a small shop in Sendagi, Tokyo, where they continue to sell paper, paper-toys and related products.
According to the Isetatsu company history, during the Meiji period they connected with European trading houses in Yokohama and were able to successfully export a number of paper products. The present broadside is an example of an Isetatsu crepe paper with a decorative, woodblock-printed border that would have come to the Netherlands most likely by Dutch traders in Yokohama. The border shows various silhouetted figures; a street entertainer with puppets, children playing, a plant seller and shamisen player. The setting of a Shinto shrine suggests that it is depicting a summer festival scene. It is somewhat fitting that Pawnee Bill's show be surrounded by motifs of entertainers and festival-goers.
Rare. No copies listed institutionally.
