Sisters

Two female figures, presumably sisters, appear in this 1907 color woodcut from a period when Lum was deeply engaged with Japanese subjects and techniques. The pairing of two figures allows for compositional interplay — similarities and differences in dress, posture, and expression create a visual dialogue within the frame. Lum's treatment of female figures in her Japanese-period work balances observation with stylization, absorbing the conventions of bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women) while filtering them through her own sensibility as a Western woman artist working in Meiji Japan. The relationship between the two sisters — conveyed through proximity, shared gesture, or mirrored stance — gives the print a narrative warmth that extends beyond purely decorative concerns.