Comments - Intriguing domestic scene of a Korean father reading a letter from his son asking for money, as he sits with his wife, who is absorbed in sewing, making repairs to a red garment. He looks down with a rather dismayed expression, his mouth slightly open. His white robe is beautifully detailed with delicate cloth embossing, as is his black mesh horsehair hat. The home is clean but with indications of poverty, such as the cracks in the stone frame of the round window, and the small tears in the panels at right. The window opens onto a view of a garden with pink and blue morning glories and a water basin, rendered without a traditional black key block, giving the landscape a soft, dreamy feel. The print is often considered to be Jacoulet's first narrative design, and it effectively conveys the sense of the father's dismay, mixed with disappointment, at his inability to give his son any assistance due to their straitened conditions. A moving and poignant image.

French title - La Lettre du Fils. Seoul, Coree
English title - The Son's Letter, Seoul, Korea
Date - June 4, 1938
Signed - Pencil signed Paul Jacoulet in subject at lower right, with red artist's "Tea Jar" seal
Carver - Maeda
Printers - Honda, Ogawa
Edition - Stamped on reverse 229/350

Artist - Jacoulet (1896 - 1960)

Image Size - 11 3/4" x 15 3/8" + margins as shown

Condition - This print with excellent color and detail as shown. Two drying holes in top margin. Light creasing near edges, faint stain in subject. Please see photos for details. Good overall.