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19th Century Paper Dolls

Beautiful Japanese Printing/Fashion Plates

11/3/2010

 
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While wandering around the internet, I stumbled across the following Japanese fashion prints (circa 1888), depicting the empress of Japan in western clothing. The artist is Yoshitoshi, who is considered the last great master of the ukiyo-e tradition. These prints were made at the height of Japan's new "westernization".

The emperor and empress encouraged the adoption of western clothing and customs as part of modernizing Japan and breaking from centuries-old feudal customs.

It was a tough period for Japan and you can read a little more about what it meant to Japanese women at the source where I found these images: Lina's Lookbook.

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Perhaps needless to say, the prints are absolutely beautiful (the colors are amazing!). When compared to cheap American prints of the same era, the difference is astounding. But then again, "cheap" American kind of sums up the reason there.

I was looking at images of 19th century Japan mostly out of curiosity; I am watching Shogun (which takes place in the 1600s), but so much of the Japanese style did not change until the 19th century, so I was interested in how constant the clothing had been over the centuries in many ways. When you look at how diverse western clothing is from century to century, this constancy is particularly striking.

And yes, I am sort of playing with the idea of making a paper doll based on the character of John Blackthorn in Shogun, but it's kind of out the era I'd prefer working in, so it was just an idle thought and a few sketches on an energy bill that happened to be handy for scrawling. Nevertheless, I do have two Japanese characters who I could draw belonging to the "proper" era represented in this blog. Eventually. Meanwhile, click on the pictures above to see them in

Meanwhile, I created two dolls over the weekend, but made some really poor judgment choices in inking and painting them, so, sadly, out they go. I will try to make new ones this coming weekend and hopefully have something to share by Sunday.

RLC link
11/4/2010 07:38:37 am

These are nothing short of amazing. I've been reading up lately on the transition out of the Kimono into Western dress for women on Japan (it started as a Japanese fabric dye techniques and has evolved, as research tends to do) and I'd seen these images in black and white printed in a book. So, I was pleasantly surprised to see these.

Rather unrelatedly, it's nice to have you back with us in our small group of Paper Doll Blogs.

Boots link
11/7/2010 08:48:46 pm

Thank you, RLC ~ I'm definitely trying to get back to the land of the living!

And I agree these prints are gorgeous. I have seen a lot of painting in the ukiyo-e tradition, but somehow had never come across these. I just love the colors. Black and white surely can't do them justice!

: D


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