The White Coat, from the series
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Image courtesy of
- Art Institute of Chicago
Description
"The White Coat" is a ukiyo-e print by Kitagawa Utamaro, created during the Edo period. This work demonstrates the artist's distinctive approach to bijin-ga and women through the medium of Japanese woodblock printing.
Utamaro was the greatest master of bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women), known for his psychologically nuanced close-up portraits that revealed individual character beneath idealized beauty.
This print represents Kitagawa Utamaro's contribution to the ukiyo-e tradition during the Edo period. As with all works by this artist, it reflects both individual artistic vision and the broader cultural moment in which it was created. For collectors and admirers of Japanese printmaking, it offers a window into the sophisticated aesthetic world that produced some of the most beloved images in art history.
More Prints by Kitagawa Utamaro
![A Low Class Prostitute (Gun [teppo]), from the series “Five Shades of Ink in the Northern Quarter" ("Hokkoku goshiki-zumi") by Kitagawa Utamaro](https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/ed82be98-8a83-4163-ccc4-e2f7210cce55/full/843,/0/default.jpg)
A Low Class Prostitute (Gun [teppo]), from the series “Five Shades of Ink in the Northern Quarter" ("Hokkoku goshiki-zumi")
c. 1794/95
Color woodblock print; oban

Woman Holding a Fan (from the series Ten Aspects of the Physiognomy of Women)
c. 1793
color woodblock print

Akashi of the Tamaya, from the series Seven Komachis of Yoshiwara (Seiro nana Komachi) (Tamaya uchi Akashi, Uraji, Shimano)
Woodblock print

Hour of the Tiger (Tora no koku = 4 AM) from the series Twelve Hours in Yoshiwara (Seirô jûni toki tsuzuki), Late Edo period, circa 1794
Woodblock print
Frequently Asked Questions
The White Coat, from the series was created by Kitagawa Utamaro (喜多川歌麿).