Chikanobu, Japanese woman wearing wire spectacles, 1897, Toyohara Chikanobu

From the book shin bijin (true beauties) by chikanobu hashimoto. Ukiyo-e print showing a woman seated at a table dressed in a kimono and wearing eyeglasses. Chikanobu, shin bijin (true beauties). Color woodcut book, 1897. Some artists, such as yoshitoshi and chikanobu, produced both yokohama-e and more traditional ukiyo-e. For the latter they tended to stay close to conventional themes, although their beauties, historical scenes, and heroes often exhibited a distinctly western flavor. Here chikanobu blends the ukiyo-e tradition of beauty prints with a western twist, topped off by the fetching wire spectacles worn by this beauty. Date: 1897.