Object Type
Japanese woodblock prints were commercial productions made for popular consumption. They were made by artists, block cutters and printers working independently to the instructions of specialist publishers. Fan prints like this were mounted on rigid bamboo frames and sold in large numbers during Japan's hot and humid summer. Cityscape and landscape views were very popular in 19th-century Japan. Hiroshige was especially well known for his work in this field.

Place
The Eitai Bridge, depicted here in an evening downpour, spanned the Sumida River in Edo (modern Tokyo) just before it widened into Edo Bay (modern Tokyo Bay). It was completed in 1698 as a link between the central part of the city to the west and the then newly developing area to the east.

Time
This print was published in Edo not long before the establishment of commercial and diplomatic ties between Japan and western nations in the mid to late 1850s. During the second half of the 19th century, large numbers of prints were exported to Europe and the United States. They were avidly sought out by western collectors, artists and designers, and played a major role in the development of 'Japonisme' and then art nouveau.