Contemporary Styles

A print depicting contemporary fashions — the "Contemporary Styles" subject documenting the evolving dress of Meiji-era Japanese women as they navigated between traditional kimono aesthetics and Western-influenced clothing options. The Meiji period was an era of intense sartorial experimentation for Japanese women, particularly those in urban environments with access to foreign goods and ideas, and documentary prints of contemporary fashion served both descriptive and aspirational functions for their audiences.