The Fan Peddler 1765

Suzuki Harunobu created this woodblock print around 1770 in Japan. Harunobu's works were emblematic of Edo period art, capturing the daily life and beauty of women but also the social changes affecting Japanese society. In the print, a woman carries a mountain of fans, each decorated with different images. These weren't just any fans but uchiwa fans, flat fans that were popular during the Edo period. What makes this image so interesting is how it reflects the growing commercialization of art. Woodblock prints like this weren't just aesthetic objects; they were commodities, bought and sold, mirroring the economic shifts happening in Japan. The image is a document of popular taste, and the kind of scenes and imagery that would have sold well. As historians, we dive into period documents to unravel the layers of meaning embedded in artworks, emphasizing that art is never created in a vacuum but reflects the complex interplay of social, economic, and cultural forces.