Suzuki Harunobu 鈴木春信 (1725?-1770)
Visit by the Fan Salesman
From an untitled series
Japan, Edo period (1615-1868), c. 1770
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Gift of James A. Michener, 1991
(24668)

Not unlike the plumbers or pizza-delivery boys found in contemporary Western erotica, in the early Edo period (1615-1868), fan-sellers, identified by their distinctively shaped wooden cases, and other door-to-door salesmen were frequently featured in tales of sexually unsatisfied housewives or libidinous domestic servants. Harunobu commends this young man for observing proper decorum: before entering the house and seducing the resident wet nurse, he removed his sandals, which are shown lying on the stone patio.

View info on museum database (enabled through support by the Robert F. Lange Foundation)