Portraits of Western Women in Japanese Dress, c.1900

Posted: March 13th, 2026 | No Comments »

Portraits of western women, on silk, in traditional Japanese dress. There are many of these around and seem to have been popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The subjects are usually portrayed wearing kimono and geta sandals, as well as with parasols and/or fans. Most commonly they were painted in Yokohama. Yokohama officially opened as Japan’s premier treaty port on June 2, 1859, transforming from a small fishing village into the central hub for foreign trade, diplomacy, and cultural exchange. The artists almost universally anonymous, though artists such as Goseda Horyu and others have been identified. The portraits were of course souvenirs for visitors to, or residents of, Yokohama. Scenes of Mount Fuji or the Yokohama Bluff were also often added.

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