What: A cover illustration from the June 1904 issue of Ladies Home Journal.
Where to find it: On exhibit in "Japan-in-America: The Turn of the Twentieth Century" at the Mathers Museum of World Cultures, 416 N. Indiana Ave.
Why you should care: The most resonant and durable image of the Japanese woman from the turn of 20th-century America was Cho-Cho-San, the doomed young female character in Madame Butterfly.\nCho-Cho-San dies by her own hand after falling in love with, bearing the child of and being deserted by an American naval officer who purchased her services as a temporary wife while stationed in Japan. The figure of Madame Butterfly appeared in a host of formats, from postcards and cigar labels to advertisements and sheet music. During this time period (1890-1913), Japanese femininity itself became stylish and fashionable in the United States.
