Morning club brushing
Date
Credits
- Kitano Tsunetomi 3 Painter
Format
- Poster 2374
- Advertising 635
- Print 329
Clients
Media
- silk-screen 122
Techniques
- lithography 237
- illustration 307
- painting 92
Dimensions
Locations Made
- Japan 560
During the late Meiji and Taishō periods (roughly 1900s–1920s), bijinga (pictures of beautiful women) were frequently used in posters and magazine covers, establishing the "ideal female image" as the face of advertising and consumption.
This particular example is an advertisement poster for a Club Cosmetics toothpaste. While the Japanese text immediately clarifies the product being promoted, a foreign observer might find the poster’s purpose ambiguous. This ambiguity stems from a significant cultural factor: in traditional Japanese society, it was considered unrefined for women to show their teeth when smiling or laughing. Consequently, this toothpaste ad, despite its objective, features a woman whose mouth is completely closed, with no teeth visible.The kimono worn by the woman in the poster is notable for its intricate design, which is divided and composed of at least four distinct patterns. Around the Taishō period, a style known as katamigawari (half-body change) was highly fashionable.
