1861
Portugal (Two Portuguese Women)
Utagawa SadahideJapanese, c. 1807 - 1873
This panel, which along with Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1965-57-25, form the right-hand sections of a pentaptych, show the entrance to a foreign residence in Yokohama. The two women in this panel are designated as Portuguese. Alhtough neither Portugal nor any South American country had commercial treaties with Japan in 1861, when this image was made, Sadahide is accurate in recognizing the presence of merchants from those nations in Yokohama at that time. The artist also clearly enjoyed describing the fanciful details of Western women's costumes, evident in the range of patterns, trimmings, and textures of the fabrics he depicts.
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