A Member of Commodore Perry's Party, Western Man on a Horse

This hand-colored woodblock print depicts a Western visitor mounted on horseback, rendered in the ukiyo-e tradition. The figure wears a tricorn hat, coral coat, and blue waistcoat characteristic of early 19th-century European dress. Japanese inscriptions and seal marks identify the artist and subject. The work captures a moment of cultural encounter following Commodore Perry's expedition to Japan (1853–1854), which opened trade relations between Japan and Western nations. Such images satisfied public curiosity about foreign peoples and customs, establishing a visual record of the West as experienced and interpreted through Japanese artistic conventions and materials.