Hayashi Tadamasa in the United States (1887)

This article extends the conclusions of “A Japoniste Friendship in Translation: Hayashi Tadamasa and Philippe Burty (1878–1890)” (Journal of Japonisme, 6:1, 2021), an essay dedicated to the translation and analysis of a set of French letters documenting the friendship between Hayashi Tadamasa and Philippe Burty. The present article focuses on a second set of letters sent from Hayashi to Burty while on a trip to the United States in 1887 during which he sold fourteen French paintings for Burty. Hayashi’s descriptions of transatlantic voyages, the tastes and practices of American clients, and his personal reflections on travel, religion, and the tensions among French and American japonistes provide valuable insights into his character, the art market, and the social and aesthetic situation of Japonisme in 1887.