Matthew Perry, Narrative of the Expedition of an American Squadron to the China Seas and Japan ... . New York: D. Appleton, 1857.
Perry's expedition, which contributed considerably to the 'opening' of Japan to the West, was formally documented as a United States government publication (1856) in three volumes, copiously illustrated with chromolithographs portraying various aspects of Japanese and Chinese life, as well as with scientific findings. Volume 1 of that report was reissued by Appleton in the following year, identical in text and illustrations (as was another edition reduced in size and with cheaper illustrations) to accommodate a wider public interest. Volumes 2 and 3, focusing more narrowly on scientific observations, were excluded from these 'popular' editions. The bath scene shown here is found in only a very few copies of the 1856 and 1857 editions -it was deemed too offensive to the public and was excised from most copies.
Gift: Karl L. Rankin.