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The Waitress Ohisa of the Takashima Establishment, from the series An Elegant Triptych

The Waitress Ohisa of the Takashima Establishment, from the series An Elegant Triptych

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Utagawa Toyokuni

The waitress Ohisa was the eldest daughter of Takashima Chobei, who was an official purveyor of Japanese rice crackers to the shogunate. In 1794, she would have been seventeen years old. This print is the right sheet of a triptych. Ohisa is identified by the crest of a triple oak leaf on her fan. The other two sheets of the triptych (not shown) depict the waitress Okita from the Naniwaya establishment and the geisha known as Tomimoto Toyohina. These three women were considered the quintessential beauties of Edo. Ohisa wears a pink summer kimono that stands out against the bright yellow background applied to draw attention to the figure’s pale face. Toyokuni has added the exotic touch of a calico-printed obi sash, a recently imported textile design that became the height of fashion during this period.
Artist
Utagawa Toyokuni
(Japanese, 1769 - 1825)
Title
The Waitress Ohisa of the Takashima Establishment, from the series An Elegant Triptych
Date
ca. 1794
Medium
Color woodcut
Dimensions
365 x 244 mm Overall
Credit
Bequest of John H. Van Vleck
Accession No.
1980.3148
Classification
Prints
Geography
Japan

Related

By 1925, purchased in Japan by Frank Lloyd Wright; ca. 1926, acquired by The Bank of Wisconsin; 1928, sold to Edward Burr Van Vleck (Madison, WI); 1943, passed through inheritance to Edward’s son, John H. Van Vleck (Madison, WI); 9 January 1980, bequeathed by John H. Van Vleck to the Elvehjem Museum of Art [now called Chazen Museum of Art]

  • Mueller, Laura. "Competition and Collaboration: Japanese Prints of the Utagawa School." Leiden, The Netherlands: Hotei Publishing, 2007. p. 96, no. 57
  • Hitachi, Ltd. "Ukiyoe" [calendar]. Japan: Hitachi, Ltd., 2009. July
  • Elvehjem Museum of Art. "The Edward Burr Van Vleck Collection of Japanese Prints." Madison: Elvehjem Museum of Art, 1990. p. 326

  • Summer Breeze: The Fan in Japanese Prints: Chazen Museum of Art, 7/7/2012–9/9/2012
  • Utagawa: Masters of the Japanese Print, 1770-1900 : Chazen Museum of Art, 3/21/2008–6/15/2008
  • Competition and Collaboration: Japanese Prints of the Utagawa School: Chazen Museum of Art, 11/3/2007–1/6/2008

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