Sisters

"These three sisters obviously get along well. Here, practicing a noh chant, cheek to cheek, they are shown reviewing the written music. Shōen skillfully depicts the age differences. At the back, the eldest sister holds the score and is tracing the part. Her rounded marumage hairstyle shows that she is married. Next to her, in the bloom of youth, the middle sister smiles as she releases sound from her mouth. Setting off her glossy black hair, in her Shimada coiffure, she wears a hair ornament featuring cherry blossoms. Near the hem of her blue kimono you can also see motifs of small cherry blossoms. The youngest sister’s hair is adorned with a rose ornament in her momo-ware styled hair. Despite the elegance of her obi tied in a large bow, the way she wears her kimono gathered at the shoulders tells us that she is still quite young. Patterns of chrysanthemums against silhouetted leaves on kimono skirts were popular from 1897 to 1906, which is when this work was created. In this early work the young Shōen turned her fresh and sensitive gaze on current female fashions."