Woman Tying Her Hair (from the series Famous Restaurants of the Present Day) - Utagawa Kunisada

A woodblock print by Utagawa Kunisada depicting a woman in a patterned kimono tying her hair, from the series Famous Restaurants of the Present Day.

This woodblock print by Utagawa Kunisada captures a private moment of a woman preparing her hair. The subject is depicted in a kneeling posture, her arms raised to secure her tresses. She wears a kimono featuring a geometric pattern, which contrasts with the more fluid lines of her hair and the trailing fabric of her garment. The composition includes a small inset cartouche in the upper left corner, which depicts a scene from a restaurant, providing context for the series title, Famous Restaurants of the Present Day.

Kunisada, a prolific designer of ukiyo-e prints, was known for his ability to capture the fashions and daily habits of Edo-period society. The print employs a limited colour palette, focusing on soft tones that allow the focus to remain on the figure's posture and the textile design of her clothing. A small comb lies on the floor near her, suggesting the domestic nature of the scene. The inclusion of the restaurant scene serves as a visual link to the broader series, connecting the intimate act of grooming with the public social spaces of the time.

Technically, the print demonstrates the precision of the woodblock medium. The lines are clean and deliberate, defining the folds of the kimono and the texture of the hair. The spatial arrangement is relatively flat, a characteristic of the ukiyo-e style, which prioritises decorative harmony over three-dimensional depth. This work offers a glimpse into the aesthetic preferences of the early nineteenth century in Japan, where the depiction of women in various states of dress and activity was a popular subject for print collectors.