Middle Class Mother and Daughter 

Kitagawa Utamaro’s "Middle Class Mother and Daughter" is a woodblock print, a medium deeply embedded in the commercial culture of Edo-period Japan. The process begins with a drawing, painstakingly transferred to a wood block, typically cherry. Specialist carvers then cut away the negative space, leaving the lines in relief. These blocks were then inked and printed onto paper, layer by layer, each color requiring a separate block. The flat planes of color and precisely delineated lines are of course intrinsic to the medium. But it's more than just technique. This printmaking tradition grew hand-in-hand with the rise of a merchant class, their tastes shaping the art. The very act of making these prints was a collaborative endeavor, involving artists, carvers, printers, and publishers, each playing a crucial role in a burgeoning market. So, next time you look at a woodblock print, remember it is not just an image, but a product of complex social and economic forces.