During the Edo period in Japan, Kitagawa Utamaro (1753–1806) was the most famous creator of Ukiyo-e woodblock prints and paintings. Kitagawa was famous for painting beautiful Japanese women and illustrations of nature, birds being his favorite subject. His artworks also influenced European Impressionists in the mid-nineteenth century. Now under the public domain, these digitally enhanced images can be downloaded for free for both personal and commercial use.