Court Ladies Sewing Western Clothing (Jokan yofuku saiho no zu). Artist: Yoshu (Hashimoto) Chikanobu (Japanese, 1838-1912). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: Image: 14 5/16 x 29 11/16 in. (36.4 x 75.4 cm). Date: August 23rd, 1887.The empress, wearing a close-fitting, French-style mantelet, is accompanied by the prince, who sports his school uniform. At the center, her ladies-in-waiting demonstrate Western techniques of cutting and sewing cloth. In the Meiji period, noble ladies were encouraged to wear elegant Western dress in official places in order to prove to foreign visitors that Japan was of an equal standing to the other nations. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.