Artwork

Picture of the First Visit to the Pleasure Quarters

Picture of the First Visit to the Pleasure Quarters, by Kitagawa Kikumaro, 1804
Picture of the First Visit to the Pleasure Quarters, by Kitagawa Kikumaro, 1804

Picture of the First Visit to the Pleasure Quarters is a print by the Romanticist artist Kitagawa Kikumaro. It dates from 1804 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

Picture of the First Visit to the Pleasure Quarters is a ukiyo-e print created by Kitagawa Tsukimaro around 1804, exemplifying the genre’s focus on urban life and entertainment during the late Edo period.

Subject & Meaning

The print depicts a scene from the pleasure quarters, a common theme in ukiyo-e, highlighting aspects of courtesan culture and fashionable urban life of the time.

Technique & Style

While specific technical details of this work are not provided, as a ukiyo-e print, it would have been produced using traditional woodblock printing techniques characteristic of the genre.

History & Provenance

Created circa 1804 by Kitagawa Tsukimaro, a student of Kitagawa Utamaro, under one of his early artist names (Kikumaro or Tsukimaro). The artist’s personal life included a stint as a watchman in Edo, though biographical details are limited.

Context

This work is situated within the late Edo period’s flourishing ukiyo-e tradition, which captivated audiences with illustrations of pleasure quarters, courtesans, and urban lifestyles.

Legacy

The legacy of *Picture of the First Visit to the Pleasure Quarters* is intertwined with the broader impact of ukiyo-e on Japanese art history, though the work’s specific influence or renown is not detailed in available information.

Artist & collection

This work is in the public domain (CC0). Image source: Cleveland Museum of Art open access. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.