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| Cyanotype by Katsushika Hokusai ( woodblock print circa 1833) |
In our recent trip to Buenos Aires we were not able to go
to the San Telmo (the oldest neighbourhood of the city) Sunday market. We
managed to go the day before. Amongst all the stuff, I spotted what looked to be
a pristine cyanotype in an 6x7 inch size. I bargained and got it for the
equivalent of $10 US.
Imagine my surprise when I investigated (I contacted my
former Japanese student Hiroshi Suyama who is now a curator at the Tokyo
Metropolitan Museum of Photograpy) and found out that it was a cyanotype circa
1833 probably done by Katsushika Hokusai.
Suyama told me that the print if it is the real thing
could be worth many thousands of dollars.