Two Girls on a Veranda beside a Stream with the Moon 1725 - 1770

Suzuki Harunobu’s woodblock print, “Two Girls on a Veranda beside a Stream with the Moon,” invites us into the intimate world of 18th-century Japan. Harunobu was a leading artist in the ukiyo-e style, which flourished during the Edo period, a time marked by relative peace and economic growth, but also rigid social hierarchies. Here, two women are captured in a moment of quiet contemplation. This print reflects the era’s complex negotiation of gender roles, where women, while constrained by societal expectations, also found space for expression and agency within the domestic sphere. Notice the delicate rendering of the women’s kimonos. These garments, decorated with natural motifs, reflect both the beauty and the constraints of their world. What feelings does the moonlit scene invoke in you? Does it feel like a moment of peaceful contemplation, or something else? Harunobu's work reminds us to look closer at the subtle narratives embedded within the everyday lives of those who came before us.