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Takigawa of the Ōgiya from the series A Selection of Eastern Beauties
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
The courtesan Takigawa worked for the Ōgiya, "House of Fans" brothel, one of the most prestigious in the Yoshiwara. Here, she smokes tobacco, a fashionable trend in 18th-century Edo. Fashion-conscious women in Edo purchased prints of the most famous beauties just as contemporary women buy fashion magazines to learn about the latest styles in make-up and hair. The strands of hair at her temple were printed from thin pieces of wood left in relief when the areas on either side of them were carved away.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineTakigawa of the Ōgiya from the series A Selection of Eastern Beauties (吾妻美人ゑらみ 扇屋内滝川), c. 1798. Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese, c. 1754–1806). Color woodblock print; sheet: 33 x 22.3 cm (13 x 8 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Edward L. Whittemore, 1930.219
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