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Bertha Boynton Lum
Printmaker and Illustrator
American (1869–1954)
Biography from TERRA Foundation for American Art and IFPDA:
Bertha Lum ranks among the important twentieth-century American printmakers who were inspired by Asian culture, particularly the style and masterful technique of Japanese prints.
Born Bertha Boynton Bull and raised in Iowa and Minnesota, Lum began her formal art education in 1895 at the Art Institute of Chicago's prestigious school, where she studied design and later, in 1901, figure drawing.
Born Bertha Boynton Bull and raised in Iowa and Minnesota, Lum began her formal art education in 1895 at the Art Institute of Chicago's prestigious school, where she studied design and later, in 1901, figure drawing.
Peter, 1912 (Lum's daughter, baby Eleanor, called Peter.)
Color Woodcut by Bertha Boynton Lum
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA)
She also received training from newspaper illustrator and printmaker Frank Holme (1868-1904). Lum's aesthetic sensibilities were further shaped by the display of Japanese prints she saw at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago and by Arthur Wesley Dow's influential textbook Composition (1899), which promoted Japanese color woodcuts as models.
Cherry Blossoms, 1912 by Bertha Boynton Lum
In 1903, she married Burt Lum, a Minneapolis lawyer. During their honeymoon trip to Japan, the aspiring artist collected ukiyo-e woodcut prints and sought out artisans practicing traditional printmaking techniques.
Image dates originally to Edo era (1738-1868). This "re-carved" Meiji-edition print was published 1903-1906.
In 1904, Lum made her first prints inspired by Japan and its graphic tradition.
From the Hanga and Torii Galleries
Lum returned to Tokyo in 1907 and spent two months studying with master block cutter Bonkotsu Igami (1875-1933), followed by extensive lessons with master printers on intricate Japanese color printing technique.
Color Woodcut, From the Hanga and Torii Galleries
In 1911, Lum, accompanied by her two daughters, again traveled to Japan to work with master cutters and printers in making print editions using traditional techniques.
Color Woodcut, From the Hanga and Torii Galleries
In 1912, she was the only foreign artist included in the Tenth Annual Art Exhibition in Ueno Park, Tokyo, where her works were admired for their distinctive blending of western and Japanese styles.
Bamboo Road, 1912 By Bertha Boynton Lum
Successful solo exhibitions at Chicago and New York galleries followed. At the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, Lum's prints received a silver medal; she was recognized among other awardees who excelled in color printmaking, namely Gustave Baumann, Helen Hyde, and Dow.
Snowballs, 1912 By Bertha Boynton Lum
Color Woodcut, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA)
Until 1933 (and intermittently thereafter), Lum's color woodcuts were exhibited to acclaim in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.
(Undoubtedly Lum's daughters, Catherine and baby, Eleanor, called Peter.)
By Bertha Boynton Lum
Color Woodcut, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA)
Lum lived alternately in the United States and abroad. She made further visits to Japan from 1915 - 1936 to make prints.
Wind and Rain, 1912 By Bertha Boynton Lum
Lum was divorced by the early or mid-twenties. From 1922 to 1924, she lived with her daughters in China, where she learned Chinese printmaking methods and created images inspired by Chinese scenes.
From the Hanga and Torii Galleries
In 1954, Lum joined her daughter's family in Genoa, Italy. She died there several months later, leaving a graphic legacy of 158 color woodcuts in addition to watercolors and illustrations.
From the Hanga and Torii Galleries
Though not the most famous turn-of-the-century artist, whose works no longer have the appreciation and notoriety they used to, Lum's art is of a rare subtlety and elegance.
Rain, 1912 By Bertha Boynton Lum
Color Woodcut, From the Hanga and Torii Galleries
Red haired, with green eyes and a strong personality, she managed to impose her works in Asia as well as America. Her very personal style pleased the two cultures at the beginning of the last century, and it still strikes a cord today. Just look how difficult it is to find any of her works on sale and how high the asking price is.
Junks on the Inland Sea, 1908 By Bertha Boynton Lum
Color Woodcut, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA)
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