Japanisme

From1635 to 1835-ish, Japan was cut off from the rest of the world 
The policy of isolation during more than 200 years
After many treaties Japan open to trade with the West Nations 
Japanese woodcuts had a strong effect on the formulation of Art Nouveau’s formal language
Flat-perspective and strong colors
Like Hokusai’s series, 36 Views of Mount Fuji, 1820s.
The Great Wave off Kanagawa (pic), The print Red Fuji (pic) Travellers Crossing the Oi River (pic)

Restricted Press 1600-1700

Scientific Publication
Tuscan physicist/mathmatician/astronomer, Galileo Galilei’s early work:
Le Operazioni del Compasso Geometrico 1606 (pic)

in 1614, the Religious denounced his theories on the motion of the Earth, judging them dangerous and close to heresy.
Galileo’s presentation of heliocentrism as proven fact resulted in the Catholic Church’s prohibiting its advocacy as empirically proven fact, because it was not empirically proven at the time.
Galileo was eventually forced to spent the last years of his life under house arrest on orders of the Roman Inquisition.

Censorship in England
In 1637 the number of print shops and foundries in England had been limited by decree.
In addition to law and decrees that threatened the press, there were great upheavals disasters, from 1642 to 1646 the civil war between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians divided the country.

In the first quarter of the century, the 2 most often printed books in English were 
The King James Version of the Bible (pic) published in 1611
and the first folio of Shakspeare Plays (pic) published in 1623

John Milton’s speech for the Freedom of Press: Areopagitica (pic)
‘A speech of Mr. John Milton for the liberty of unlicensed printing to the Parliament of England’, 1644. Prose polemical against censorship. 
Areopagitica is among history’s most influential philosophical defences for the free expression.

The First Newspapers
the world’s first newspaper, ‘Avisa Relation oder Zeitung’, printed in Germany by Johan Carolus,1609.
17th was a time of serious censorship in England, John Archer’s ‘first coranto’,1621 landed him in jail.

In 1665 the London Gazette (pic) was especially favored for such American circulation. 
In several instances, issues of the Gazette were reprinted in the colonies.
The first american newspaper appeared in September 1690, Publick Occurrences (pic) published in Boston by Benjamin Harris.

The Imprimerie Royale
Romain du Roi Louis XIV, (pic)
Types of the Imprimerie were reserved to the king use only, under stiff penalties.
The master designs for this alphabet were engraved by Louis Simonneau.