Okita of the Naniwaya Studying Her Face in a Hand Mirror

1795-96

Japanese, 1754 - 1806

The teahouse waitress in this print occupied the in-between realm of an "unregistered" sex worker who might simply serve tea and snacks but might also agree to requests for assignations. By the 1790s, this type of woman was increasingly common even in the licensed pleasure quarters of the Yoshiwara, making it easier for men to satisfy their desires at cut-rate costs.

--Catherine Roche, Curatorial Associate, 2010

Woodblock print; ink and color on paper

Sheet: 14 1/2 x 9 1/2 in. (36.8 x 24.1 cm)

Gift of Mary and Allan Kollar, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum

2017.23.7

Provenance: Collection of Henri Vever (1854-1942), France; [Sotheby’s, London, Highly Important Japanese Prints, Illustrated Books and Drawings from the Henri Vever Collection: Part I, Mar. 26, 1974, lot no. 204]; Huguette Berès (1914-1999), Paris, France; [Sotheby’s, Paris, Collection Huguette Berès, Estampes, Dessins et Livres Illustres Japonais, Nov. 27, 2002, lot no. 54, reproduced p. 70]; purchased at auction by Allan Kollar, Seattle, Washington, 2002; to Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 2017

Photo: Scott Leen

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Fleeting Beauty: Japanese Woodblock Prints, Apr. 1 - July 4, 2010. Text by Catherine Roche. Cat. no. 22, reproduced p. 45 and title page.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Legends, Tales, Poetry: Visual Narrative in Japanese Art, Dec. 22, 2012 - July 21, 2013.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Renegade Edo: Japanese Prints and Toulouse-Lautrec, July 21 - Dec. 3, 2023. Text by Xiaojin Wu. No cat. no., p. 100.

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