Longfellow's Tattoos
Tourism, Collecting, and Japan
Published on 1. October 2004
Book
Hardback
256 pages
978-0-295-98401-8 (ISBN)
Description
Charles Longfellow, son of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, arrived in Yokohama in 1871, intending a brief visit, and stayed for two years. He returned to Boston laden with photographs, curios, and art objects, as well as the elaborate tattoos he had "collected" on his body. His journals, correspondence, and art collection dramatically demonstrate America's early impressions of Japanese culture, and his personal odyssey illustrates the impact on both countries of globetrotting tourism.
Interweaving Longfellow's experiences with broader issues of tourism and cultural authenticity, Christine Guth discusses the ideology of tourism and the place of Japan within nineteenth-century round-the-world travel. This study goes beyond simplistic models of reciprocal influence and authenticity to a more synergistic account of cross-cultural dynamics.
Interweaving Longfellow's experiences with broader issues of tourism and cultural authenticity, Christine Guth discusses the ideology of tourism and the place of Japan within nineteenth-century round-the-world travel. This study goes beyond simplistic models of reciprocal influence and authenticity to a more synergistic account of cross-cultural dynamics.
Reviews / Votes
A readable, instructive and intellectually inspiring inquiry into a late-nineteenth-century trans-Pacific relationship. As a cultural biographhy of Charles Longfellow alone, it is of great value. Moreover, Guth's writing is gripping..[A] magnificent accomplishment from the frontiers of cross-cultural studies. * The New England Quarterly * Guth bravely explores new territory..and challenges to reexamine how we imagine art history, history, and Japanese studies. * The Journal of Asian Studies * Guth's study breaks important new ground. Broadly conceived, carefully researched, and thoughtfully constructed, Longfellow's Tattoos is essential reading for anyone interested in the early history of cultural relations between America and Japan. . * CAA Reviews * Guth makes a convincing case that Longfellow's Japanese years were important in influencing the Japanese-American cultural relationship. This is a book that American and Japanese historians will enjoy reading. * The Journal of American History *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Seattle
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
US School Grade: College Graduate Student and over
Illustrations
116 illus., 12 in color
Dimensions
Height: 254 mm
Width: 178 mm
Weight
980 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-295-98401-8 (9780295984018)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Christine M. E. Guth is one of the foremost scholars in Japanese art history working in the United States today. Her publications include Asobi: Plays in the Arts of Japan; Art, Tea, and Industry: Masuda Takashi and the Mitsui Circle; and Art of Edo Japan: The Artist and the City, 1615-1868.
Content
Acknowledgments
Note to the Reader
Introduction
1. Globe-Trotting in Japan
2. Picturing Japan
3. Paradise of Curios
4. Embodying Japan
5. Domesticating Japan
Epilogue
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
Note to the Reader
Introduction
1. Globe-Trotting in Japan
2. Picturing Japan
3. Paradise of Curios
4. Embodying Japan
5. Domesticating Japan
Epilogue
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index