A Woman at Her Toilet Seated before a Mirror, Having Her Hair combed by a Kameyui (Woman Hairdresser)

Description

Kitagawa Utamaro places a woman at her toilet within a room shared by several women, making hairdressing part of a domestic gathering. The woman receiving attention sits before a mirror at the right, while the hairdresser stands behind and above her. A darker-robed figure occupies the left foreground, and trees beyond the railing open the interior toward a garden. The arrangement connects a personal routine with a larger domestic setting.

The ink-and-color woodblock print gives grooming a visual complexity that extends beyond the reflection in the mirror. Standing and seated figures occupy different levels, while the open rail connects enclosed space with the outdoors. Utamaro makes the work of preparing hair an occasion for observing relations between people and the objects around them. The scene preserves both the intimacy of attending to appearance and the wider life of a shared room.

Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Kitagawa Utamaro collection.