The Exotic White Man Print

The Exotic White Man is a late 19th-century Japanese color print from a private Dutch art collection. The print shows four figures—an older female and miniature-sized male in the foreground; a larger male behind them; and a second, younger female in the background. The older woman is kneeling and looking at the smaller male figure seemingly dancing in a tub of water, while the younger female watches the scene reclined on a bed or couch with the larger male standing next to her. While both of the women are Japanese and wearing traditional kimonos, the males are white and have thick facial hair. The larger male wears a military uniform with an epaulette on his crotch. The smaller male has the same facial features as the bigger one, but is naked, and his genitals are displayed. The older woman wears a horrified expression, while the younger one looks dazed or tired. The larger man appears alarmed or puzzled. The print provides an avenue to explore the gendered contexts of Westernization and imperialism in nineteenth-century Japan.