Huang Xiang (ô Kô) Cooling the Hot Iron 

Toyota Hokkei made this print, "Huang Xiang Cooling the Hot Iron," sometime in the early 19th century, using woodblock printing techniques. It depicts a scene of domestic labor with a woman cooling an iron, likely in Japan. The image creates meaning through its composition and cultural references. It suggests a world in which women's work was essential for maintaining social order. Hokkei produced this print during the Edo period, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate, a time of relative peace and prosperity. This period saw the rise of a merchant class and the development of a vibrant urban culture. The print reflects the values of this culture, with its emphasis on hard work, thrift, and social harmony. Historians of art analyze the context of this artwork by researching the social and institutional conditions that shaped its production. They look into the history of woodblock printing in Japan and examine the role of the artist within that system. Through these research methods, we can come to understand how art reflects the values and beliefs of its time.