Rules for the Department of Young Ladies (Shōgaku Joreishiki zukai) c. late 19th century

Editor: This is Adachi Ginkō's "Rules for the Department of Young Ladies," an undated woodblock print at the Harvard Art Museums. The colors and detail are just beautiful. What can you tell me about how this work was made? Curator: Consider the labor involved in its creation. The woodblock printing process itself—the carving, the inking, the repeated pressing—speaks volumes about the standardization and dissemination of ideals for young women in Meiji-era Japan. How do these "rules" reflect the changing role of women during this period of modernization? Editor: So, you're saying the very act of printing and distributing these images reinforces the message they contain? Curator: Precisely. The mass production of these prints highlights the widespread effort to shape and control female identity through accessible, consumable imagery. Are these rules liberating or restrictive, and how does the materiality of the print contribute to that interpretation? Editor: That makes me think about the power of images in shaping cultural norms! Curator: Exactly. Materiality matters!