Rules for the Department of Young Ladies (Shōgaku Joreishiki zukai) c. late 19th century

Curator: Adachi Ginkō's "Rules for the Department of Young Ladies" depicts women engaged in refined activities. The composition is neatly divided into separate vignettes. Editor: It’s strangely calming, isn’t it? The way those figures are arranged almost like delicate porcelain dolls within this garden setting. Curator: Indeed. The printmaking process, likely woodblock, allowed for mass production and dissemination of these ideals. Notice the emphasis on proper decorum as a commodity. Editor: It also feels like a snapshot of a bygone world, a peek into a very specific and carefully constructed reality for these young women. I wonder what their lives were really like. Curator: Consider the labor involved in creating the inks, carving the blocks, and printing each image. It speaks to a whole network of craftspeople. Editor: It definitely leaves you pondering on the weight of tradition and the artist’s hand in immortalizing it. Curator: A worthwhile exercise in considering labor, value and representation. Editor: Absolutely, an intricate window into a life both beautiful and bound.