Vier geisha's vergezellen twee mannen tijdens het eten in een theehuis in Japan c. 1896 - 1906

Kōzaburō Tamamura made this photographic print of four geishas accompanying two men during a meal in a teahouse in Japan. What I find so compelling in this image is the story it tells and doesn’t tell. I wonder what the men might be thinking? I notice how they’re framed by the doorway behind them. Are they thinking about leaving already? The artist’s placement of figures within the space and the muted color palette lends a very particular feeling to this scene. You know, it reminds me of the quiet beauty of some of those old Japanese screens – all that serene, contemplative atmosphere they create. And like those screens, this print uses the arrangement of figures and the softness of the light to evoke a mood that’s both intimate and a little distant, inviting us to imagine the unspoken stories unfolding in that teahouse.