A Wife of the Lower Rank (Gebon no nyobo), from the series "A Guide to Women's Contemporary Styles (Tosei onna fuzoku tsu)"
c. 1801/02
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
60309
Art Historical Context
This color woodblock print by Kitagawa Utamaro, titled *A of the Lower Rank*, to his series *A Guide to Women’s Contemporary Styles* (c. 1801–02). Created during Japan’s Edo period, the work captures the subtle distinctions of social rank and fashion among women of the time. Utamaro, celebrated for his sensitive portrayals of female beauty, here presents a figure whose modest attire and composed expression reflect the quiet dignity expected of a lower-ranking wife. Utamaro’s prints helped shape the genre known as *bijin-ga*, or “pictures of beautiful women,” which became enormously popular in...
About the Artist
Kitagawa Utamaro · 1753–1806
Kitagawa Utamaro (c. 1753-1806) was one of the most celebrated masters of ukiyo-e woodblock printing, revolutionizing the art of bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women) during Japan's Edo period. Born Kitagawa Ichitaro, his early life remains shrouded in mystery, with conflicting accounts placing his birth in Kyoto, Osaka, Yoshiwara in Edo (modern Tokyo), or Kawagoe in Musashi Province. Under the t...