The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 26, 2024

Cleaning Combs

Cleaning Combs

c. late 1790s
(Japanese, c. 1754–1806)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
color woodblock print
Sheet: 38.2 x 25.4 cm (15 1/16 x 10 in.)
Bequest of Edward L. Whittemore 1930.216
Location: not on view

Description

In this print, a mother who has put up her child's hair into a neat bun cleans the comb. By the latter part of the Kansei era, or 1789-1801, Utamaro was frequently incorporating the activities of daily life into his images of beauties. Beyond serving as portraits, and depicting the bonds between mothers and children, the prints also take the view of a detached observer in their representations of everyday settings.
  • (Yamanaka & Co., sold to Edward L. Whittemore)
    ?–1930
    Edward L. Whittemore [1862–1930], Cleveland, OH, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1930–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Mary Cassatt and the Feminine Ideal in Nineteenth-Century Paris. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (October 14, 2012-January 20, 2013).
    Japanese Prints from the Museum Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 5-October 28, 1934).
  • {{cite web|title=Cleaning Combs|url=false|author=Kitagawa Utamaro|year=c. late 1790s|access-date=26 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1930.216