Chinese Brothel Scene, Framed

She sits on a tufted stool with her arms raised, entirely unbothered.

This framed piece, a brothel scene, comes from China. Images of this kind circulated widely in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and their sources and settings are often hard to pin down. The image is printed in deep blue tones. A nude woman sits on a cushioned footstool, hands lifted to her hair, a window glowing behind her. It is set in a wide white mat inside a dark frame with a thin gilt edge. It is 20.25 inches wide and 24.25 high.

The mat does most of the modest work here.