Identifier: cu31924023219557 (find matches)
Title: Japan, a record in colour
Year: 1901 (1900s)
Authors: Menpes, Mortimer, 1855-1938 Menpes, Dorothy
Subjects: Art
Publisher: London : A. & C. Black
Contributing Library: Cornell University Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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us tropical flowers, the scene becomes abit of decoration as daring, original, and whimsicallybeautiful as any to be seen in the land of naturalplacing and artistic design and effect. The coloursof kimonos, obis, fans, and head-ornaments blend, con-trast, and produce a carefully-arranged harmony, thewhole converging to a centre of attraction, a grotesque,fascinating, exotic figure, the geisha of geishas—thatvermilion-and-gold girl who especially seizes me. Sheis a bewildering symphony in vermilion, orange, andgold. Her kimono is vermilion embroidered in greatdragons ; her obi is cloth of gold ; her long hangingsleeves are lined with orange. Just one little slim slipof apple-green appears above the golden fold of the obiand accentuates the harmony ; it is the crape cord ofthe knapsack which bulges the loops at the back andgives the Japanese curve of grace. The little apple-green cord keeps the obi in its place, and is the discordwhich makes the melody. 130 BY THE LIGHT OF THE LANTERN
Text Appearing After Image:
The Geisha My vermilion girls hair is brilliant black with bluelights, and shining where it is stiffened and gummed inloops and bands till they seem to reflect the gold lacquerand coral-tipped pins that bristle round her head. Yes,she is like some wonderful fantastical tropical blossom,that vermilion geisha-girl, or like some hitherto un-known and gorgeous dragon-fly. And she is charming ;so sweetly, simply, candidly alluring. Every movementand gesture, each rippling laugh, each fan-flutter, eachwave of her rice-powdered arms from out of their wing-like sleeves, is a joyous and naive appeal for admirationand sympathy. How impossible to withhold either!The geisha-girl is an artist: I am an artist: we under-stand each other. My geisha-girl brings out her dainty lacquer-box,and under the gaze of all sits down to decorate herselfwith a frank joy in the pleasure she knows she is goingto give. And she knows too what she is about. Sheknows the value of a tone in a lip. Something suggeststo h

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