A Woman Lying in a Hammock with Western-Style Dress and Hairdo Holding an Uchiwa and a Letter

A woman reclining in a hammock dressed in Western style — both the hammock and her dress and hairstyle signaling the Western cultural encounters that defined Meiji Japan's modernization. Yet she holds a traditional uchiwa (round fan) and a letter — objects that reconnect the Western-styled figure to Japanese social customs. The letter in Meiji bijin-ga is a charged object, often suggesting romantic correspondence or the anticipation and anxiety of waiting. Hanko creates a figure at the intersection of two cultures, effortlessly inhabiting both.