This vintage photograph features four lovely and beautifully dressed Japanese girls.Two of the girls are holding parasols and all four are wearing hair bows. The previous owner of the card shared some information about this image. I was told that the girls were students and dressed in Hakama style. Hakama are a type of traditional Japanese clothing. The Imperial Chinese court wore trousers during the Sui and Tang dynasties and the Japanese adopted this style in the sixth century. Hakama are tied to the waist and fall down to near the ankles. They are worn over a kimono. According to the previous owner this wardrobe was popular among students during the Meiji period (1868-1912) and Taisho period (1912-1926). This photograph was taken during either the latter Meiji era or sometime during the Taisho era. The photographer of this wonderful image is S. Noji and his studio was located in Fukui, Japan. The city is located on the coast of the Sea of Japan. This photograph measures about 8 1/2 ” x 6 1/2″. The cabinet card gallery has a number of photographs originating in Japan which can be seen by clicking on the category “Japan”.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 
beautiful –
An outstanding photograph, the composition and contrasts in tone are superb. The subjects are undeniably lovely and I found it so interesting that the hair styles of all four young ladies are entirely “western”–the two older girls at either end are sporting that pompadour style one so often sees in photos dating from 1900 to about 1915.