Stretching Out Cloth, from the series Notes on Women’s Conduct
Woodblock Print
1840-1845 (made)
1840-1845 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This tryptich by Utagawa Kuniyoshi shows four women making stencil-dyed cloth. Two are washing fabric, while the other two are using pointed bamboo splints to tension fabric as it is stretched out from a tree to dry. On the right a child plays a game of pick-up-sticks with the bamboo. It was common for Japanese print artists to show beautiful women engaged in various trades, but in fact dyeing was always a male profession.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 3 parts.
|
| Title | Stretching Out Cloth, from the series Notes on Women’s Conduct (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Colour print from woodblocks |
| Brief description | Pap, Japan, prints Triptych Stretching Out Cloth, from the series Notes on Women’s Conduct, by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861), Edo (Tokyo), 1840–45, colour print from woodblocks. |
| Physical description | Print triptych depicting four women and a child making stencil-dyed cloth. |
| Styles | |
| Gallery label | Kimono were made from lengths of fabric with a standard width of around 30 centimetres. When they needed cleaning, they had to be unstitched. After washing in cold water, the lengths of fabric were hung out to dry using bamboo stretchers to prevent wrinkling. The woman in the middle holds a bundle of these rods in one hand as she works from one end of the textile length to the other. (10/03/2020) |
| Object history | Acquisition method and source not identified in the Asia Department registers, accessioned in 1886. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. |
| Summary | This tryptich by Utagawa Kuniyoshi shows four women making stencil-dyed cloth. Two are washing fabric, while the other two are using pointed bamboo splints to tension fabric as it is stretched out from a tree to dry. On the right a child plays a game of pick-up-sticks with the bamboo. It was common for Japanese print artists to show beautiful women engaged in various trades, but in fact dyeing was always a male profession. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.11466:1to:3-1886 |
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| Record created | April 5, 2007 |
| Record URL |
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