Twenty-four Favorites of Enlightenment - Handsome design from a rarely seen Kunichika series pairing kabuki portraits with small scenes extolling modern inventions or modernized activities from the Meiji era, the "Enlightenment" of the title. These examples include rickshaws, streetlights, telegraph lines, steamships, and horse-drawn carriages. The figures are beautifully drawn and detailed with lively color, set off by a deep red background framed by a yellow border featuring confetti-like shapes. Some images includes deluxe publishing techniques such as burnishing and embossing. The series title is sometimes translated as "Twenty-four Favorites of New Civilization" or "Twenty-four Favorites of the Meiji Restoration." An interesting and unusual series.

Bando Hikosaburo V as Yaegiri, 1877 - Interesting portrait of the actor Bando Hikosaburo V as the courtesan Yaegiri, who is searching for her husband. She pauses outside the garden wall of a palace, listening to a song that was written by her husband being played inside. She scowls with displeasure, thinking quickly of a way to enter the palace by pretending to be a storyteller. She wears a kimono covered with kanji characters, and has a bundle tied around her torso, a walking stick and hat in hand. The inset above shows a mail box and a messenger delivering letters. A handsome design, nicely detailed with burnishing in the black areas of the kimono and embossed lines on the hat.

Artist - Kunichika (1835 - 1900)

Image Size - 14" x 9 1/2" + margins as shown

Condition - This print with excellent color and detail as shown. Paper hinge mounts on reverse at top edge. Creasing, slight soiling, a few stains, paper remnant in top margin. Please see photos for details. Good overall.