Description: Yuki furi ningyo-buri 「雪ふり人形身」 Handsome kabuki scene from the play 'Nureta tō yume ni aigasa' 濡党夢相傘 of the beauty Aburaya Osome waiting outside a barred window, waving at the young apprentice Hisamatsu inside. Osome has been betrothed to Seibei, but she has fallen in love with Hisamatsu, who is an apprentice in her father's shop. He regards her with an unhappy expression, his hair slightly disheveled with loose wisps framing his face. She gives him an encouraging smile, dressed in an elegant kimono made from bands of tie-dyed fabric. Her hair is pulled back into a smooth bun, adorned with a red lacquer comb, tasseled floral ornament, and several ribbons. From left, the actors are Ichikawa Fukutaro and Nakamura Fukusuke II. Nice detail in the setting and the expressive faces, with burnishing on the black collar. See Tokyo Metropolitan Library: http://archive.library.metro.tokyo.jp/da/detail?tilcod=0000000003-00015671 Author: Utagawa Kunisada II (二代歌川国貞, 1823 – 20 July 1880) was a Japanese ukiyo-e print designer, one of three to take the name "Utagawa Kunisada". He headed the Utagawa school. Little is known of Kunisada II's early life. A pupil of Utagawa Kunisada I, he signed much of his early work "Kunimasa III". His earliest known prints date to 1844. Kunisada I adopted him in 1846 after he married the master's daughter Osuzu. He took the name Kunisada II c. 1850–51, about the time he inherited the house of Kunisada I. He changed his name once more following his master's death, to Toyokuni III. However, since there were three artists called Toyokuni before him, Kunisada II is now often known as Toyokuni IV.