French in Miyozakimachi (Furansujin, Miyozakimachi), from the series "Famous Places in Yokohama (Yokohama meisho)" 1861

Editor: Here we have Utagawa Yoshikazu’s woodblock print, "French in Miyozakimachi," created around 1861. I find it fascinating how Western fashion is depicted with such a unique Japanese artistic sensibility. What’s your read on this piece? Curator: This print is like a visual poem about cultures meeting, don't you think? Imagine the scene: Yokohama, newly opened to the West. This piece is from a series called "Famous Places in Yokohama," showcasing what life looked like then – a collision of worlds! And the "French"? Well, "foreigner" might be more accurate, wouldn’t you say? Back then, everything was “French this, French that.” Sort of like calling all fizzy drinks “Coke.” Editor: True! I see what you mean. It's not necessarily about them being *from* France, but representing a new, Western influence. But is the clothing accurate or more of an interpretation? Curator: Ooh, that’s a delicious question! Notice the billowing sleeves and the almost cartoonish beard on the fellow. It’s an interpretation, darling, a performance! These artists were responding to a real fascination – sometimes bordering on bewilderment! – with these newcomers. They are translating, and in that translation, creating a beautiful fiction, right? They are exaggerating and guessing all at the same time. The humor is hidden beneath the surface! Editor: So, it's less about precise documentation and more about capturing the mood, that first impression of seeing foreign styles? Curator: Precisely! More of an impressionistic sketch, really. A sensory response to a changing world, capturing the exciting – maybe slightly bizarre – arrival of something completely new. Editor: That’s so interesting! I was so focused on the foreignness, that I completely missed the nuances and playful elements. It's really about the art of seeing, or in this case, *interpreting.* Curator: Indeed! We are merely seeing the world filtered through someone else's lenses; such is the case with culture!