Three Beauties of the Present Day
The artist
Kitagawa Utamaro, a Japanese master of woodblock prints who was famous for his elegant portraits of women.
What you see
Three graceful young women arranged in a triangle, each with a slightly different face, hairstyle, and kimono pattern.
The story
Made around 1793, the print shows three real celebrities of the time, so people bought it a bit like we collect pictures of favorite stars today.
The style
Utamaro used clean flowing lines and flat areas of soft color, with a shiny mica background that made the print glow.
Look closer
The three faces look almost the same on purpose, so viewers played a game trying to tell the beauties apart by tiny clues.
Where to see it
Copies of this famous print are kept in museums around the world, including collections in Japan and the United States.
Fun fact
Because it was a printed picture, many copies could be made, which is why people could enjoy the same artwork at the same time.