Pictures of Ten Styles (Jittaiga Fuzoku): A Young Woman with a Dog 1780 - 1801

Curator: The print before us, created between 1780 and 1801, is titled "Pictures of Ten Styles (Jittaiga Fuzoku): A Young Woman with a Dog" by Torii Kiyonaga, currently residing here at The Met. It exemplifies the Ukiyo-e tradition, crafted as a woodblock print. What stands out to you upon first glance? Editor: There’s a distinct sense of stillness, a kind of quiet dignity. The colors are muted, soft, and the young woman almost seems lost in contemplation, creating a tranquil domestic scene. But I’m curious about this image within a series titled 'Ten Styles’ does it seek to categorize or explore female representation in that era? Curator: Exactly! Torii Kiyonaga was a master at capturing the contemporary beauty ideals, his figures were idealized, slender, graceful, and his attention to detail shows how clothing and hairstyles symbolized status and taste. Dogs, of course, are seen here to act as a motif for companionship. I find it striking how this image ties together beauty standards and quiet status symbols of the era. Editor: I wonder about that sense of 'status' – who had access to such carefully crafted images? I'm thinking about questions of access and power in image making: whose stories are visualized? It’s also a very specific type of beauty being celebrated—this thinness, and demure quality reinforces an ideal accessible only to a small group of women in Japan during that time, what implications might that carry, psychologically? Curator: The layering of meaning here is precisely what makes it engaging! Chrysanthemums on the kimono are an autumnal symbol and associated with the imperial family, hinting at refinement and elevated standing. Even her coiffure has elements that only certain classes could possess and style in a given form, revealing more nuances about hierarchical social structures of the time period. We read so many details with each careful symbol! Editor: Right, the symbols act almost as social scripts that communicated rigid structures of wealth. And I appreciate how you emphasized that interplay – visual cues embedded within daily life serving to communicate power. Seeing the woman almost blending into the design itself gives off an atmosphere both tranquil and also constrained to conform to a set social order. Thanks for revealing further context! Curator: And thanks to you, our view expands!