True Life Picture of a Fierce Tiger (Mōko no shashin) and Portrait of a Woman Above, published by Shinagawaya Possibly 1860

Curator: This woodblock print, attributed to Utagawa Yoshiiku, is titled "True Life Picture of a Fierce Tiger and Portrait of a Woman Above." What's your immediate take? Editor: It’s unsettling! That tiger looks like it's in mid-roar, and the woman’s portrait above feels completely detached from the scene below, creating an uneasy juxtaposition. Curator: The placement is certainly unusual. Utagawa Yoshiiku was working in a period of vast cultural change, and I see this work reflecting that era's fascination with, and perhaps misunderstanding of, Western imagery and its relationship to traditional Japanese subjects. Editor: It’s the disjunction that speaks to me – the almost comical Western portrait positioned above the brutal realism of the tiger. It highlights the exoticization of both cultures, doesn’t it? The print seems to question the very notion of a singular, coherent identity, both personal and national. Curator: Indeed, the print leaves us pondering the complex intersections of art, identity, and the power dynamics inherent in cultural exchange. Editor: Absolutely, a powerful glimpse into a world grappling with shifting perspectives.