Woman on a Veranda About to Open a Love-letter
mid–late 1770s
Medium
Color woodblock print; wide hashira-e
Dimensions
69 × 16.7 cm (27 1/8 × 6 9/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
44362
Art Historical Context
In the mid-to-late 1770s, during Japan's vibrant Edo period, master ukiyo-e artist Kats Shunsho captured a tender moment of anticipation in *Woman on aanda About to Open a-letter*. This color woodblock print depicts a graceful beauty poised on a wooden veranda, her delicate fingers hovering over a sealed letter—a subtle nod to the era's romantic intrigues and the emotional lives of women in urban society. Shunsho, renowned for his expressive yakusha-e (actor prints here showcases his skill in bijin-ga, or "pictures of beautiful women," blending realism with poetic elegance. Printed as a wide ...