Three types of beauties in Edo, set of three

This scroll represents a wealthy maiden dressed in a red kimono with full-length sleeves, indicating that she is unmarried. She holds a pipe as she strolls; her elderly attendant carries her tobacco pouch. Introduced by Dutch traders, tobacco smoking became popular among Japanese of all social levels; they believed that smoking was good for their health. This scroll is one of three scrolls represent three types of women-an elite courtesan, a geisha, and a maiden of a wealthy family-who had developed distinctly different roles by the second half of the eighteenth century.