The Printmaker’s Daughter, Katherine Govier
As a child, Oei joined her father Hokusai, the world famous printmaker, in his studio. In 19th century Japan, where a woman was considered a possession of her menfolk, Oeilaboured to bring first her father’s and then her own visions to life. Her home of Edo (Tokyo) was the largest city in the world, teeming with peasants, samurai, townsmen, merchants, and nobles. Eccentric, free-living and devoted, Oei left hundreds of beautiful pictures. But she-- and her work-- are lost to history.
