Leathers of Old Japan

Originally published in 1845, this book features the leather pattern designs of Keisai Ikeda, used by the Japanese military to line armor and for casing weapons. Patterns were used in the past for military costumes, festivities, and decorative clothing and accessories. The author of this collection of woodblock patterns designed for use on leathers owned a major collection of rare objects illustrating the art of Old Japan, which were sold at auction in 1903. Some of these patterns may have appeared in his collection of leatherwork. This volume is one of the many design pattern books owned by the Cooper Hewitt Library.