Block Prints 1957 is a loose-leaf portfolio of eight color block prints created in 1957 by John Murray Barton. The individual color prints are each pencil signed, dated, and editioned 40/250 and the portfolio title page is annotated “Portfolio # 40.“ Despite having a high edition number, it is very unlikely that 250 portfolios were published. The Metropolitan Museum of Art was gifted Portfolio # 49 but from what can be gleaned from their information it appears the artist interchanged his block prints. A portfolio sold at auction held four or five of the same color block prints as in Portfolio # 40 but the rest were different. These impressions are printed on beautiful sheets of Imperial Japan paper.