Did you notice the frog and the crane? 🐸🐦 They hint at a ‘hidden’ message. In 19th-century French slang, grue (crane) and grenouille (frog) referred to prostitutes. The woman’s hairstyle and front-tied obi show she is a courtesan (a prostitute for the upper class). Van Gogh based her on a Japanese woodcut by Kesai Eisen, using bold colours and strong outlines to mimic the style. He framed her with water lilies, bamboo, cranes, and frogs – each element carefully chosen for its meaning. ‘Courtes