October: Makeup in Autumn, 1924

Takehisa Yumeji - Takehisa Yumeji was a leading artist and illustrator in Japan during the Taisho era. His romantic portraits of contemporary young women were extremely popular, and he designed many woodblock prints for newspapers, women's magazines, and book covers. His slender, languid women are drawn with expressive line work, and sometimes have a naive, almost childlike quality. Yumeji's work found an enthusiastic following in Japan, and today, there is a museum devoted to him in Okayama, his birthplace. While there was little foreign interest in his work prior to his death in 1934, in subsequent decades Yumeji's prints have become very popular and highly sought after by collectors. 

Comments - Beautiful modern design of a young woman applying rouge as she looks in a mirror, delicately patting her face with a powder puff, her ring finger and little finger gracefully extended. She has the stylish bobbed hair of the 1920s, the sides gently curving around her face, and she wears a large gold ring and pink nail polish. This attractive portrait was originally featured as the October 1924 cover for an issue of "The Ladies' Graphic," a Japanese women's magazine. A fine example of Yumeji's romantic style.

Artist - Takehisa Yumeji (1884 - 1934)

Image Size - 7 1/8" x 7 3/4"

Condition - Nice color and detail. Slight thinning at edges, repaired.