A French Woman of a Yokohama Merchant House Enjoying Goldfish

A woman dressed in a pink skirt with her hair ornamented with an elaborate comb is seated on a Chinese-style bench, admiring red goldfish swimming in a large rectangular tank. On the wall behind her is a large framed portrait painting of a man with curly hair who is wearing a blue jacket and a large brown hat. Holding a goblet, he looks down toward the woman. Nineteenth-century Japanese were curious to see framed oil paintings installed on interior walls of foreigners’ residences in Yokohama.