Japonisme and Femininity: A Study of Japanese Dress in British and French Art and Society, c. 1860–c. 1899

Artworks of the second half of the nineteenth century offer substantial evidence of the differing ways in which the 'Japanese craze' of this period was disseminated in dress. A discussion of the availability of garments in Paris and London, and the evidence for ownership of garments, takes place in this article. This study shows that Whistler was reflecting and informing the usage of Japanese attire by aesthetic women such as Ellen Terry. These garments offered a freer, looser, artistic style. The immense popularity of Japanese accessories is explored, as is the kimono's adaptation as a dressing gown. Alfred Stevens' artworks reflect this usage in France during the 1870s and 1880s. An examination of fancy dress books provides evidence of a growing familiarity with Japanese dress towards the end of the nineteenth century. This article is informed by nineteenth-century writings on Japan, fancy dress books, Liberty's catalogues, photographs and surviving garments.