Cleaning Combs
Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese, c. 1754–1806)
c. late 1790s
Medium
color woodblock print
Dimensions
38.2 × 25.4 cm
Classification
Department
Japanese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Bequest of Edward L. Whittemore
Accession Number
1930.216
Tags
male
About this artwork
In this print, a mother who has put up her child's hair into a neat bun cleans the comb. By the latter part of the Kansei era, or 1789-1801, Utamaro was frequently incorporating the activities of daily life into his images of beauties. Beyond serving as portraits, and depicting the bonds between mothers and children, the prints also take the view of a detached observer in their representations of everyday settings.