In the second half of the nineteenth century, a series of world’s fairs was organized in Europe and the United States. These events were grand international exhibitions where nations presented their raw materials, cultural products, and latest innovations.The Meiji government was eager to take part in these expositions in order to define the image of modern Japan on a global stage, doing so for the first time at the Vienna International Exposition of 1873. Japan went on to host three domestic exhibitions of industry. In this print, a group of women demonstrate a novel silk-reeling machine while at the first Japanese National Industrial Exhibition, staged in Tokyo in 1877.