The 1876 oil painting depicts a European woman, Monet’s wife, in a red uchikake kimono standing In front of a wall which displays Japanese fans.
Monet’s wife, Camille Doncieux, is wearing a famous Japanese actor’s kimono and standing on a Japanese-style tatami mat in front of Japanese uchiwa fans. Camille is wearing a blonde wig on top of her naturally dark hair, emphasising that she is a European white woman. This shows that the painting depicts the performance and appropriation of Japanese culture rather than an authentic display of culture.
Detailed embroidery of a samurai is shown on Camille’s robe, near the centre of the painting. The samurai’s dark hair, serious expression and strong grip on his sword is a stark contrast to Camille. She is framed by blonde hair, smiling and delicately holding a fan; a strong comparison between the “Japanese” setting and the European woman within it.
The uchiwa fans further highlight the difference between the painting’s Imitation of Japanese culture and Camille. The fan directly to the right of Camille depicts a Japanese woman wearing a kimono and a traditional hairstyle on a red background. Her face tilts in the opposite direction of Camille’s and has an almost shocked facial expression, watching her European counterpart’s imitations.