Yoshiiku: American Woman with Parasol and Two Russian Men (Yokohama-e)

Artist: Utagawa Yoshiiku (1833-1904)
Title: American Woman with Parasol and Two  Russian Men (Yokohama-e) 亜米利加女人あめりかふじん
Date: 1862
Series: Portraits of Foreigners (Gaikoku jinbutsu zuga 外国人物圖畫)

Here we see an American woman wearing a bonnet and holding a parasol and smiling for her portrait. To her right, in contrast, are two serious-looking Russian men, one in a short military jacket and one in a long, flowing coat seen from behind. Following 200 years of an isolationist policy, the port of Yokohama was opened to foreigners beginning in 1859 This led to a brief obsession by the Japanese public regarding these mysterious strangers–what did they wear, what did they look like, how did they behave? After just a couple of years, the Japanese public became accustomed to their presence and the flood of Yokohama-e portraits stopped. Published by Kaga-ya Kichiemon.

SKU: YII036