Woman with scroll.

Artist: Unknown.
Date of printing: ca. 1880.
Place of publishing: Tokyo.
From: Kodai bijin e syu - Pictures of a variety of beautiful women in earlier time.
Technique: Original woodblock print in colour (Ukiyo-é); pasted on paper.

Ukiyo-é ("Pictures of the floating world") is a distinctive form of art in Japanese culture that started in the 17th century and is still being practiced up untill the present day. The prints were made by cutting each colour into a separate block of wood (which were used to make the impression for that particular colour in the depiction). The end-result was achieved by "overlaying" the different colours (so multiple stages of printing) on to each other. One of the most popular themes in ukiyo-é is 'Bijin-ga" 美人画, or representations of young women, wearing costly kimonos and various accessories,  positioned in Japanese interiors or landscapes. This era ended when Japan opened itself to the West and various parts of Western lifestyle was gradually incorporated in to Japanese culture. Depictions of the "earlier" more traditional lifestyle became popular topics for the ukiyo-é masters.