Mother and Children at the New Year 1735 - 1799

Utagawa Toyoharu created this hanging scroll of ink and color on silk called "Mother and Children at the New Year" in Japan, sometime in the late 18th century. New Year’s was an important time for families in Japan. This image creates meaning through the visual codes of family and the cultural references to seasonal change. We see a woman dressed in the height of fashion as she juggles her children. Her elaborate kimono and hairstyle signal that she is wealthy. The pine tree in the background symbolizes longevity, but also, as an evergreen, new beginnings. The image may speak to the social structures of the time, when a woman’s status was defined by the success of her husband and children. Understanding this work fully requires research into the history of Japanese social customs, as well as the economics of fabric production at this time. Art history helps us to consider how such images might have been used to reinforce or challenge existing social norms.