A Woman and Coiffeur(barber/hairdresser).
Kalighat style painting. Kolkata, 19th century.
Black ink, watercolor, and tin paint on paper
Secondary Support: 47.8 x 29.7 cm (18 13/16 x 11 11/16 in.); Painting only: 45.3 x 28.4 cm (17 13/16 x 11 3/16 in.)
Currently at: Cleveland Museum of Art.
Gift of William E. Ward in memory of his wife, Evelyn Svec Ward 2003.117
”A chinless barber with cleaning pins tucked in his turban is cleaning the ears of a lady customer. A fashionable woman, she smokes a hookah and exposes one breast to her flirtatious barber. As the Bengali babus (native Indian clerks) spent time with their mistresses and courtesans, neglected wives and concubines were portrayed as relying on the company of their servants.”
Image Courtesy: Cleveland Museum of Art