$1,000–$12,000. Common subjects: $1,000–$3,000. Key value factors: Korean and Chinese subjects tend to be more collected than Japanese scenes.
This [oban](/glossary/oban) woodblock print, titled Waiting for the Fight, likely depicts spectators gathered in anticipation of a cockfight in the Philippines, forming a companion piece to Keith's Cock Fight print that shows the event itself. The moment of waiting, before the action begins, allows Keith to focus on the human drama of anticipation, the crowd's tension, conversation, and positioning as they prepare to witness the contest. By choosing to depict the before rather than the during, Keith shifts attention from animal combat to human social behavior, making the print as much about community gathering as about the event that occasions it. The composition likely arranges figures in a ring or semicircle, their body language expressing eager expectation while the fighting birds are still held by their handlers.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Waiting for the fight was created by Elizabeth Keith (エリザベス・キース).
Waiting for the fight was published by Watanabe Shozaburo.
Waiting for the fight depicts figures, market scenes, and daily life.
