The White Coat - Kitagawa Utamaro
Archival giclée
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Description
A refined woodblock print by Kitagawa Utamaro, featuring a woman in a patterned white coat from his series on brocade designs.
This woodblock print belongs to the series New Patterns of Brocade Woven in Utamaro Style (Nishiki-ori Utamaro-gata-moyo), produced by Kitagawa Utamaro during the mid-1790s. Utamaro is recognised for his mastery of the bijin-ga genre, which focuses on the depiction of beautiful women. In this composition, the artist employs his signature style to capture a subject in a moment of quiet reflection. The figure is shown in a three-quarter view, with her head tilted slightly, drawing attention to the elegant lines of her neck and the elaborate arrangement of her hair, which is adorned with several hairpins.
The print is notable for its focus on textile design. The subject wears a white coat featuring distinct geometric patterns, including a repeating star-like motif and a chequered design. These patterns are rendered with precision, demonstrating the technical capabilities of the woodblock printing process. The use of negative space, particularly the large areas of unprinted paper, allows the patterns on the garment to emerge as the primary visual interest. A scroll-like cartouche in the upper left corner contains calligraphic text, a common feature in Ukiyo-e prints that provides context or poetic commentary on the subject.
Utamaro was a central figure in the development of the okubi-e, or large-head portrait, which allowed for a more intimate engagement with the subject's features. While this work maintains a slightly wider frame than his most extreme close-ups, it shares the same sensitivity to line and form. The palette is restrained, relying on soft tones that complement the white of the garment. This print offers a clear view into the aesthetic priorities of the Edo period, where fashion, calligraphy, and portraiture intersected to create a refined visual language.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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We ship worldwide, printing at the production hub nearest to your delivery address. Delivery times and costs vary by destination — you'll see the options available to you at checkout.
Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
The White Coat - Kitagawa Utamaro
Artist Biography
Kitagawa Utamaro
Almost nothing is certain about his early life. He was born around 1753, possibly in Edo, possibly in Kyoto, possibly in Kawagoe. He began publishing prints in the 1770s under the guidance of the publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo, who recognised what Utamaro could do with a portrait of a woman.
What he could do was unprecedented. He invented the okubi-e format: large head-and-shoulders portraits of individual women, mostly from the Yoshiwara pleasure district, printed in close-up with minimal background. Before Utamaro, bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women) showed groups of figures in full length. He isolated the face, the tilt of the head, the expression. The prints are psychologically specific in a way that had not existed in Japanese printmaking.
He also published books of insect studies and volumes of shunga (erotica), and he made portraits of ordinary town women, not just courtesans. Ohisa and Okita, two shopgirls who appeared in his Three Beauties of the Present Day, became famous across Edo because of his prints. He turned real people into celebrities, which may be the first documented instance of an artist functioning as a kind of media platform.
Tsutaya Juzaburo died in 1797. Utamaro was reportedly devastated. Some critics feel his work never reached the same level afterward. He produced over two thousand prints in his career.
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