In the Meiji era (1868–1912), print artists often depicted the Meiji emperor and his family, but the titles and the drawing of the figures are kept deliberately vague, as a sign of respect. This fantasy of life in the palace features the little prince (the future Taishō Emperor), who was about one year old at the time and had just recovered from a serious illness, probably meningitis. The standing man in a Western-style uniform represents the Meiji Emperor, gazing fondly at his heir; the Empress is seated at the right, surrounded by ladies-in-waiting . The baby was the legal son of the Empress but the biological child of one of the secondary wives. All later emperors, however, followed the European custom of having only a single wife.

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