Interieur met een onbekende Japanse vrouw en een koto c. 1890 - 1895

This photograph of an interior with a Japanese woman and a koto was made by Kazumasa Ogawa, a pioneer of photography in Japan. The image offers a glimpse into the cultural codes and social norms of late 19th-century Japan. The woman, dressed in a traditional kimono, is seen playing the koto, a stringed musical instrument that was often associated with refinement and cultural accomplishment. The photograph would have likely been produced for a Western audience eager to learn more about Japan. Ogawa's work provides valuable insights into the ways in which Japanese culture was represented and consumed during a period of intense globalization and cultural exchange. To understand the broader context of Ogawa's photographs, it would be useful to consult archival sources, such as period newspapers and magazines, and consider also the biographies of Westerners then living and working in Japan. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.