Yoshitoshi, Drowsy

Notes: The appearance of a harlot of the Meiji Era. She lies on a red futon mattress with her heavy head propped up on a padded lacquer pillow printed with burnishing. In the background, a painted panel of a folding screen decorated with vines bears Yoshitoshi's signature and seal within the composition. A highly skilled and impressive work for both designer and block cutter alike. The series dates from the very end of Yoshitoshi's career, when he was about forty-nine years old. It thus dates from the same period as his well-known masterpieces such as his great series "One Hundred Aspects of the Moon" (1885-1892), and "Thirty-Six Ghosts" (1889-1892).