The American artist Bertha Lum grew increasingly interested in Japanese woodblock prints after a visit to Japan on her honeymoon in 1903. She returned in 1908 to study with artists there and went back again in 1911, at which time she had several Japanese printers working for her. In woodcuts like Rainy Twilight, Lum successfully imitated the wind and weather effects that were a trademark of ukiyo-e prints.
