The Japanese strongly associate the iris with summer since it blooms by ponds and streams in late May. Consequently, it has been a longtime favorite among poets and painters hoping to evoke sentiments associated with that season. This print shows two women picking iris flowers, perhaps for a flower arrangement. The standing figure wears a loosely woven, semi-transparent kimono and a woven hat, and holds a folding fan--all details that further suggest the heat of the season. In fact, this scene is the right-hand panel of a diptych. The missing panel depicts three additional women similarly dressed in summer robes.