Kyo Maiko original conte drawing

A conte drawing of a Kyoto maiko — an apprentice geisha in her elaborate formal dress — documents the preparatory stage of what may have become a woodblock composition. The maiko is one of Binnie's recurring subjects, her distinctive appearance (the long-sleeved furisode, the dangling kanzashi hairpins, the white-painted face) offering a rich visual subject that situates the figure within a specifically Kyoto tradition. The conte drawing captures the figure with the direct observation that precedes the formal print.