In the Library of Congress' online exhibition section of their website, there is an exhibit of Japanese woodblock prints, books and drawings titled: The Floating World of Ukiyo-E: Shadows, Dreams and Substance. The objects displayed in this online exhibit range from the 17th to the 19th centuries and are from the Prints and Photographs and Asian Divisions.
Collection Principles
This online exhibit was created with the purpose of displaying the Library of Congress' collection of Ukiyo-e related materials for the first time. There are also other collection materials from 20th Century Western and Japanese artists found in the online exhibition. By including these objects online the LOC wants to share the beauty and hopes the viewers of this exhibition will understand the motiviations behind the collectors of these drawings, paintings etc... Since the homepage states that this online exhibition showcases the holdings at the LOC, I think it is safe to assume these are not all of the items related to Ukiyo-e and 20th century Japanese and Western artists. However, there is no explanation regarding the selection of the items on display. On the Exhibition Overview page, there is a listing of a few of the main collectors from which the LOC received their collection, but there is no listing of items that were donated by these individuals.
Object Characteristics
The Object Checklist page divides the images into: Early Masters; Major Genres: Beauties, Actors, and Landscapes; Images and Literary Sources: History, Legend, and Myth; The Fantastic, Poetry, Narrative, Surimono; Realia and Reportage; Japan and the West; and Beyond Ukiyo-e. These sections are divided into the pages that make up the site; however, there is no link to these pages from the Object Checklist which I find unusual. There is also no link to the sections from which these objects are taken from. Further information about the objects can only be found by clicking the subject heading at the top of the page. You are then taken to a page that contains all the items related to that section. You can click on the image be taken to larger JPEG. Some images will give you the option to zoom in, but the zoom is minimal. Some of these pages are incredibly long and would have benefited by splitting up the subcategories within the main subject headings.
Metadata
The metadata for the objects can be found on the object checklist page.
This page is a listing of the items found in the online exhibition with corresponding artist/author, title, year, type of item such as woodblock print, size, the location within the LOC such as the Prints and Photographs Division and a unique identification number within the LOC. There is a link to a JPEG of the images on the site. This same metadata is found the exhibition pages of the website.
Intended Audience
The intended audience for this site is the general public because that is the audience the Library of Congress serves. I found this exhibition very quickly by clicking on a link that lists all their exhibitions. This site was highlighted at the top of the page with an image from the collection. There is an extensive history/background given on Ukiyo-e in case a viewer happens upon the site and knows nothing of the subject. However, anyone interested in art history and Japanese culture from the 17th-19th centuries would find this site very interesting.
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