Woman Carrying a Wooden Box c. 1810 - 1815

Editor: We're looking at "Woman Carrying a Wooden Box," a woodblock print by Utagawa Toyokuni I, created around 1810 to 1815. It feels very intimate, like we’re intruding on a private moment. What are your initial thoughts when you see this print? Curator: My focus immediately goes to the socio-political context in which this Ukiyo-e print was made and how it reflects the lives of women in 19th-century Japan. The print aestheticizes labor, carefully portraying a woman carrying what appears to be an offering or a gift. Note her elaborate kimono, which suggests that we’re witnessing the performance of social rituals. How does this relate to gendered roles? Editor: So, the image is making a statement about the role of women in that society, even in seemingly simple activities? Curator: Precisely. It encourages us to examine the constructs of femininity, obligation, and presentation of self within a rigid social structure. Also, note the gaze that directs toward the interior and the woman herself is contained in an interior. How does space shape our understanding of female agency and mobility within that era? Editor: I didn't think of the setting that way. Curator: Think about how genre painting, like this one, often naturalizes social norms. Toyokuni is not just depicting a woman with a box. He’s placing her within a web of expectations and social performances. Do you see her action of giving something as an act of selflessness, something compulsory, or is it a bit more ambiguous? Editor: It's more ambiguous now that you mention it. I’m rethinking everything. Curator: Ukiyo-e prints served diverse functions: they provided commercial value, conveyed aesthetic value, and provided documentary glimpses into a time and place. Examining through contemporary intersectional lenses can unveil nuances, and provide insights into marginalized identities, even within conventional subjects such as a woman with a box. What new awareness of this representation of women do you have now? Editor: This deeper perspective adds layers of meaning and acknowledges women's positions at the time.