Flower Day, Japan, from the Holidays series (N80) for Duke brand cigarettes 1890

Editor: So, this is “Flower Day, Japan,” part of the Holidays series created around 1890 for Duke brand cigarettes. It's a print, with watercolor and drawing, held at the Met. It strikes me as incredibly delicate, a snapshot of idealized beauty... What do you make of this, seeing it now? Curator: Well, it’s a fascinating artifact of Japonisme, isn't it? A Western artist interpreting a Japanese subject. I imagine them flipping through Hokusai prints, dreaming of cherry blossoms… Notice the flattening of space, that distinctive element of Japanese art, like a paper lantern unfolding before our eyes. But it's filtered through a Western gaze. Do you get a sense of authenticity, or something else? Editor: Something else, I think. More like a romanticized idea. It’s interesting you mention the flattening – the composition almost feels staged, the woman like a posed mannequin rather than someone experiencing the day. Curator: Exactly. The artist is presenting "Japan" as a collectible trinket, packaged for Western consumption. Consider the context: cigarettes! Imagine lighting up and gazing at this idealized scene, a little escape with your smoke. It is an escape into an impression; pretty but a simulacrum, a shallow well, and a nod to exoticism. But that is the charm. Editor: It's almost a double layer of artifice – an idealized image used to sell another type of ephemeral escape. The layers get quite intriguing, once you think about it... Curator: Absolutely. It tells us as much about the Western fascination with Japan as it does about Japan itself. I was lost on the simulacrum. But yes, I feel that too. Editor: This little card certainly holds more complexity than I first thought. A glimpse into intertwined cultural perceptions and commercial strategies. Curator: Yes! See how it has been more useful to keep my mind open. Now I see.