A couple 1827

Keisai Eisen created this print depicting a couple, sometime between 1790 and 1848. Eisen was working in a Japan that was increasingly shaped by its relationship to the West. Looking at the image, it is important to consider that these kinds of images served as a form of erotica. More broadly, they provided a lens into the intimate lives of people, and the different social classes found in Japanese society. Here, we see a man embracing a woman dressed in elaborate clothing and hairstyles which suggest that they are of a higher class. In this way, the print provides a window into social expectations around class and gender roles. I’m struck by the way that prints like these offer us a perspective into the cultural norms of the past. It can be seen as a document of the era, which reflects and shapes ideas about gender, class and intimacy.