Takigawa of the Ōgiya from the series A Selection of Eastern Beauties (c. 1798): Art, History and Details

Takigawa of the Ōgiya from the series A Selection of Eastern Beauties (c. 1798) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese, c. 1754–1806).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the 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.

Object facts

• Title: Takigawa of the Ōgiya from the series A Selection of Eastern Beauties
• Date: c. 1798
• Creator attribution: Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese, c. 1754–1806)
• Culture: Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
• Type: Print
• Technique: color woodblock print
• Dimensions: Sheet: 33 x 22.3 cm (13 x 8 3/4 in.)
• Collection: Japanese Art
• Department: Japanese Art
• Accession number: 1930.219

A detail from the museum

Takigawa became the most senior courtesan of the Ōgiya following the retirement of Hanaōgi.

Collection credit

Bequest of Edward L. Whittemore

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.