Enjoying the Evening Cool on the Banks of the Sumida River

A diptych of women enjoying the evening air beside a broad river. On the left panel, a seated woman in a dark kimono leans forward while two companions stand at the edge of a wooden platform, one holding a round fan. On the right, three women in patterned robes walk along the bank under a pale sky, with lanterns and distant buildings beyond the water.

Look closer: A row of lanterns and small boats along the far shore, with a fan held by the standing woman on the left.

Artist

Torii Kiyonaga

Date

ca. 1784

Medium

Diptych of woodblock prints (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

1925 × 1437 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929