Takehisa Yumeji

1884-1934

The Ladies Graphic: Scattered Frozen Leaves, October 1926 (intact magazine)
(Fujin Gurafu: Soyo chiru)

color woodblock frontispiece (kuchi-e) by Yumeji with artist's tomoe seal within intact issue of The Ladies Graphic, vol. 3, no. 10; the woodblock print on the cover by Kimiko Matsuda, published by Kokusai Josho sha, October, 1926

frontispiece 7 3/8 by 7 3/8 in, 18.8 by 18.8 cm
magazine 12 3/4 by 9 5/8 in., 32.5 by 24.5 cm

The magazine cover illustration by Kimiko Matsuda (dates unknown) of an image of a winsome beauty lightly touching her coiffed hair in stark landscape with golden ginko leaves falling around her echoes Yumeji's frontispiece composition of of a beauty in profile applying make-up with 'Scattered Frozen Leaves' in the background. Yumeji adapted his design four years later as a cover for the music score Dream Woman (Yume no onna) from the series, Complete Collection of Works by Nakayama Shinpei: Folk Songs (Nakayama Shinpei sakkyaku zenshu: minyokyoku) published in 1930, and he also included it within his Collection of Prints by Yumeji (Yumeji hangashu) published around the same time.

The intact magazine offers a lively glimpse of early Showa culture through the multi-faceted lens of a lifestyle magazine. In addition to photographs and snippets related to typical celebrities, including a photograph of "the most handsome" world-famous actor Rudolf Valentino (who had died at the age of only 31 in August 1926), there are articles celebrating the achievements of Japanese women, such as the Japanese Olympic track and field athlete Hitomi Kinue (1907-1931, who had just competed as the only Japanese athlete in Sweden at the Womens World Games in August 1926 winning 2 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze medal). The second image after the frontispiece is a photolithograph of a painting titled 'Shinafuku' (Chinese Costume) of a woman in a Chinese robe dated 1926 and signed K. Hanihara (Hanihara Kuwayo, 1879-1936), and further in the magazine there is a photograph of the female artist holding a palette standing next to the painting in progress with a caption noting that she recently exhibited with Nika-ten (Society of Progressive Japanese Artists). In the same layout, a photo to the left of the artist illustrates the female chemist Dr. Kuroda Chika (1884-1968, the first woman in Japan to receive a Bachelor of Science), "who is known for her study of rainbows."

Numerous images of fashions illustrate both western clothing and hairstyles as well as traditional Japanese kimono including sewing patterns. Classical Japanese arts such as a feature on bonkei (tray landscapes) are represented along with articles on contemporary architecture and even a spread with sheet music. A feature on paintings includes Nihonga (Japanese-style painting) beside yoga (Western-style oil paintings), including a surprising photograph of an oil on canvas painting of a seated nude, with the live nude model seen posing just beyond the easel. The magazine balanced old and new, traditional arts and styles are presented alongside modern fashions and progressive images of women.

Reference:
Nozomi Naoi, Sabine Schenk & Maureen de Vries, Takehisa Yumeji, 2015, p. 103, no. 32a ('Dream Woman'); p. 128, no. 61 ('Scattered Frozen Leaves')
(inv. no. C-3234)

price: $1,100