Kimono with frolicking puppies in the snow
(1925-1935)
Medium
silk, cotton
Measurements
136.5 cm (centre back) 125.0 cm (cuff to cuff)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased with funds donated by Berris Aitken, 2023
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work
Creatively designed kimono featuring dark backgrounds with traditional, dramatic and playful subjects were popular in the early twentieth century. This kimono displays a theme popular during the Edo period (1600–1868) that resonated with early twentieth-century artists and designers, foreshadowing today’s craze for ‘cute’, or kawaii, found in Japanese pop, manga and otaku culture. The design depicts puppies playing in the falling snow and includes a large circular shape appearing from the shoulder line that represents a traditional snow umbrella or a full moon.