Snapshots of the Past

[Fulling cloth by moonlight] – Antique Print

[Fulling cloth by moonlight] — historic drawing
[Fulling cloth by moonlight]. Historic drawing from the Japanese Prints collection.

(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

Step back in time with [Fulling cloth by moonlight], a historic drawing rich in period detail. Sourced directly from the Library of Congress, it represents an authentic piece of documented history.

Choose the framed print, ready to hang the day it arrives, or the unframed print for a frame of your own. It brings character to any room and makes a memorable gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past has been bringing history to the wall since 2001, for tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

[Fulling cloth by moonlight]

Order a print

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.

Sign up for our newsletter

Sent securely. No purchase needed. Unsubscribe anytime.

Ask about licensing or this print

Spread across two sheets, this ink and watercolor drawing shows women fulling cloth by moonlight. Fulling, the work of beating woven cloth with wooden mallets to soften and whiten it, was often done at night in Japan, when the cloth could stay damp and the work could go on after the day's chores. In Japanese poetry the sound of the mallets is a familiar autumn image, tied to the cold months when families made winter clothing and to the longing of those waiting at home. The pairing of the rhythmic labor with the quiet light of the moon is a theme that appears often in the period's art and verse.

Medium1 drawing (2 sheets) : ink and watercolor.
Genredreams and substances
Notes[between 1785 and 1849]
SubjectsWomen--Japanese--1780-1850. Older people--Japan--1780-1850. Textiles--Japan--1780-1850. Moonlight--Japan--1780-1850.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan3,699 × 4,588 px · prints to 12 × 15 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-222083

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.

Related pictures

[Fulling cloth by moonlight][Fulling cloth by moonlight]Pen drawings of cloth brushes and jewel trunks with handwritten captionsPen drawings of cloth brushes and jewel trunks with handwritten captionsJapanese woodblock book pages with grasses and a frogJapanese woodblock book pages with grasses and a frogWoodblock book illustration of a kneeling woman in kimonoWoodblock book illustration of a kneeling woman in kimonoTurtle illustration on a Japanese woodblock book pageTurtle illustration on a Japanese woodblock book pageInk drawing of figures from a Japanese book pageInk drawing of figures from a Japanese book page