#shinzo fukuhara

[gacougnol]

Shinzo & Roso Fukuhara

"The Light whit its Harmony"

"Photographs, 1913 - 1941"

[equatorjournal]

Ama divers, 1940s. Photo by Shinzo Fukuhara. https://www.instagram.com/p/CnC3TF2NAoQ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[shihlun]

福原信三

- 台湾館の壁  (平和記念東京博覧会)

1922

[nobrashfestivity]

Shinzo Fukuhara, 1930s

[eacbooks]

Beautiful Westlake: The Light with Its Harmony

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30912771951&searchurl=sortby%3D0%26vci%3D65071755&cm_sp=snippet-_-srp1-_-title1

[yama-bato]

Shinzo FUKUHARA        "Hearn's Old Residence / Matsue・Shimane"      1935

[de-salva]

From the book: BEAUTIFUL WEST LAKE / Shinzo Fukuhara

西湖風景 / 福原信三 (Tokyo, 1931)

[las-microfisuras]

Shinzo Fukuhara

Saiko scenery, 1931

[undr]

Shinzo Fukuhara. Paris et la Seine. 1913

[thekimonogallery]

" "Autumn in Ginza" published in the October issue of "Shiseido Graph" No. 4, 1933. This is also like a work by Michiko Yamawaki. Since holding the "Michiko Yamawaki Bauhaus Hand Textile Solo Exhibition" at Shiseido Gallery in May of the same year, Michiko Yamawaki has participated in the Shiseido Journal meeting once a month at the invitation of Shinzo Fukuhara at Ryudoken in Azabu. ("Bauhaus and Chanoyu")." Text by 藤田加奈子@foujika

[gacougnol]

Shinzo Fukuhara West Lake, Hangzhou 1931

[sophi-aubrey]

Shinzo Fukuhara, Tokyo, 1931

[shihlun]

Shinzo Fukuhara

- Used Books Store

1920s (?).

[detournementsmineurs]

"West Lake, Hangzhou" by Fukuhara Shinzo, China, 1931.

[lamignonette]

Shinzo Fukuhara

[fillystick]

Shiseido: Vintage poster ads

photo timeline (from top to bottom): 1914, 1916, 1925, 1930, 1956, 1961

It all started when I was scrolling through 50watts, a website that gathered thousands of designs/ illustrations from various artists (shout out to Ben for introducing us to this amazing website). I stumbled upon this collection of vintage poster ads by Shiseido, And I was immediately intrigued.

After falling into a rabbit hole of learning all about Shiseido’s company history and their design transformation until 5am, here is my overview:

Shiseido is a Japanese cosmetics company founded in 1872. Originally a pharmacy, the company took a turn when the founder’s son Shinzo Fukuhara focused on advertising and designing the company’s image. Shinzo was familiar with the design culture in the US and Europe, so he brought his artistry to Shiseido, dedicating the majority of the efforts to the company’s design. 

“Shiseido’s advertising is populated by a dazzling array of elegant women from around the world and from across the ages, spanning from classical antiquity until the present.” The early posters showcased traditional imperial beauties, few years later it changed into the contemporary upswept hairdo with a trendy kimono. The shift in beauty standards revealed the increasing Western influence in Japan, allowing Shiseido to capitalize on this cultural change.

During the 1930’s, Shiseido employed skilled teams of graphic designers trained with modernist techniques to work on their advertising campaigns. With the corporate’s marketing and the design team’s art skills, Shiseido was able to build an ideal of femininity that is chic and highly appealing. Shiseido’s visual production offers an invaluable window into the cultural complexity of 1930s Japan. source

These artifacts are living documentations of a lifestyle: a history that is far away yet intimate to many modern women and artists. It always amazes me how some designs can crawl under time and look like it is recently done. I think this is what design is about: simple yet timeless.

When I think about how women in the 1930’s were probably just like me- trying on their best outfits or doing their makeup- it makes the past come to life, we get to see how they lived and what they liked in detail. I had much fun digging on this topic, but maybe too much fun because I’m giving up sleep for this.

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all photos are found online, but most of them are from the MIT Visualizing Culture Essay on Shiseido.

The Shiseido Corporate Museum also have a page explaining each of their posters from early periods to the most recent.