Description
Takashima Ohisa kneels with her back and side toward the viewer, using round mirrors to inspect her ornate coiffure. A screen stands behind her, while the arrangement of hair becomes a focus shared by subject and viewer. Kitagawa Utamaro makes a named woman’s act of self-observation the center of the encounter, joining an intimate activity to a particular individual presence.
The color woodblock print dates to around 1795 and is made in ink and color on paper. Its interest lies in an intimate process rather than a public occasion, allowing a familiar act of grooming to become the center of the composition. The image gives a named person individuality through a specific action, joining portrait-like presence to a moment of self-observation.
Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Kitagawa Utamaro collection.
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