Court Ladies Sewing Western Clothing (Jokan yōfuku saihō no zu)

Yōshū (Hashimoto) Chikanobu

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In the Meiji period, noble ladies were encouraged to wear elegant Western dress in official places to prove to foreign visitors that Japan held equal standing to other nations. Empress Shōken, wearing a closely fitted French-style bodice and bustle, and the prince, dressed in his school uniform, are at the center. Ladies-in-waiting, pictured alongside, demonstrate Western techniques of cutting and sew fabric using a modern sewing machine.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art