Elizabeth Keith

1887-1956

Bell Tower, Soochow, China

pencil signed at lower right, Elizabeth Keith, inscribed in pencil in lower left corner '30' and '48' in lower right corner, and on verso, (apparently in the artist's hand), (30) Bell Tower, Soochow, published by Watanabe, ca. 1935

dai oban tate-e 15 by 10 1/8 in., 38.1 by 25.6 cm

This very scarce print is not recorded in Miles' catalogue raisonne, however, it appears to be a companion print to a similar composition from 1935 titled Twin Pavilions, Soochow, China (Miles, no. 37).

In her 1928 travelogue, Eastern Windows, Keith describes Soochow as a "city of bridges and watergates, of sluggish and swift waterways, laden with craft." While most of her attention is given to the people living on houseboats: "these boat people are a race by themselves," she found the landscape enchanting upon her arrival: "We glided along on smooth water with Chinese scenery of dream-like beauty to inspire us" and later noting that "on the banks there are orange-coloured ancient temples and faded pagodas of varying ages, some of them leaning sideways and crumbling."

References:
Elizabeth Keith, Eastern Windows: An Artist's Notes of Travel in Japan, Hokkaido, Korea, China and the Philippines, 1928, pp. 52-61
Richard Miles, Elizabeth Keith: The Printed Works, 1991

(inv. no. 10-4818)

price: Sold