1861

Picture of a Foreign Residence in Yokohama

Japanese, active c. 1850-70

The foreign residences in Yokohama fascinated the Japanese, who regarded large-scale Western rooms and their typical furnishings as extraordinarily luxurious and indicative of great wealth and social standing. Few Japanese had seen carpets covering floors, glass lamps, chandeliers, or framed pictures hung on walls. Yoshikazu endeavored to make this print as informative as possible, including many of the items commonly found in a Western household: glass windows, a large mirror hanging on the wall, stemmed glassware, elaborate footed serving dishes, and a loaf of bread (a food staple unfamiliar to the Japanese), among others. Even the concept of people seated in chairs around a large table for a meal would have been striking since formal meals in Japan were customarily served on individual trays or low tables.