No. 32, Shirasuka: Shiomizaka, from the series The Tōkaidō Road, The Fifty-three Stations (Tōkaidō, GojÅ«san tsugi no uchi) c. 1850 - 1851

Editor: This is "No. 32, Shirasuka: Shiomizaka" by Utagawa Hiroshige, from the Tōkaidō Road series. I’m struck by how the steep path dominates the composition. What does this piece say to you? Curator: Notice how the woodblock printing process allows for mass production. These prints weren't precious objects but commodities, reflecting a growing merchant class consuming travel and leisure imagery. How does that change your perception? Editor: It makes me consider who these images were made *for*, not just what they depict. Thanks! Curator: Precisely. The materials and their distribution reveal much about the society that produced and consumed them.