[An oiran with a paper kerchief in her mouth advances toward the left] – Antique Print
![[An oiran with a paper kerchief in her mouth advances toward the left], 1872 — historic print](https://images.jameslantos.com/img/75/755ddd0f4a58-L.webp)
(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)
Description
Few images capture their era like this historic print of [An oiran with a paper kerchief in her mouth advances toward the left]. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.
The framed print arrives ready to hang; the unframed option suits custom framing. A conversation-starting piece for home, office, or as a meaningful gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Since 2001, Snapshots of the Past has shipped historic prints to tens of thousands of customers around the world.
[An oiran with a paper kerchief in her mouth advances toward the left]
Order a print
Thank you. Your order went through, and a receipt is on its way by email.
Secure checkout · SSL encryptedPowered by Stripe and PayPal
Free shipping in the lower 48 states. The checkout page shows the picture, size and price before you pay.
An oiran with a folded paper kerchief held between her lips walks toward the left, a detail that marks the figure as a high-ranking courtesan of the licensed pleasure quarters. Such women were known for elaborate hairpieces, layered robes, and a measured, deliberate gait. The print was cut and colored in 1872, the year the new Meiji government issued its edict freeing courtesans from their contracts, so the image records a world that was being formally dismantled even as it was being drawn. Matsushima Seikichi is credited as the engraver, and the woodblock color shows the careful layering typical of the period.
| Created / published | 1872 |
|---|---|
| Creator | Matsushima Seikichi engraver. |
| Medium | 1 print : woodcut color. |
| Notes | Title and other information based on annotations on mount. Forms part of: Visual materials from Donald D. Walker collection. Preliminary catalog record |
| Subjects | Courtesans--Japan--1870-1880. |
| Source | Library of Congress, Japanese Fine Prints |
| Original scan | 3,638 × 4,560 px · prints to 12 × 15 in at 300 dpi |
| Reference | AMZ-SOTP-JFP-227335 |
More from the Japanese Prints collection
Snapshots of the Past helps heritage brands, museums, historians and storytellers tell stories with history: historic prints, image licensing and historical storytelling drawn from more than 25 years of research and curation.
![[Elderly Japanese woman trudges up a mountain path towards her home]](https://images.jameslantos.com/img/8f/8f455ab1a7eb-400.webp)
![[Elderly Japanese woman trudges up a mountain path towards her home]](https://images.jameslantos.com/img/ec/ec6db7434a95-400.webp)
![[Fukurokuju, the god of wisdom, wealth, long life, and happiness, one of the seven lucky gods, standing, facing left]](https://images.jameslantos.com/img/41/41e59e684033-400.webp)