This colour woodcut print shows the ghostly outline of Buckingham Palace at dusk and demonstrates the way in which Yoshio Markino's work combined his western artistic training with this Japanese heritage. The scene is presented with the simplicity of a ukiyo-e print, but the colours are muted and the winding path provides a strong sense of perspective. 

Markino was a Japanese artist and writer, born in Komoro (Toyota City). In 1893 he travelled to San Francisco where he trained at the Hopkins Art School, before arriving in London in 1897. He spent hours walking the streets and produced watercolours of London scenes often depicted through the mists and fogs prevalent in the city; fascinated with the effects on the buildings and artificial gas-lights. At the height of his success Markino became something of a celebrity, however the outbreak of the first world war, the increasingly difficult political situation between Japan and Britain and a stalling of creativity for Markino all contributed to a downturn in his career. Markino finally returned to Japan in 1942 where he remained until his death.