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Abstract
The Japanese pavilion at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition was much admired by visitors. Unlike most of the fair buildings, however, the Ho-o-den remained in situ on the Wooded Island long after the exposition was over, thus providing an architectural reference for anyone interested in Japanese design. This is the second of two articles, the first of which appeared in issue 8.2 of the Journal of Japonisme and detailed the design, construction and initial reception of the Ho-o-den at the fair. This second instalment explores Ho-o-den’s influence on the design of 20th century architecture and graphic design.
Abstract
The American industrialist Charles Lang Freer (1854–1919) amassed an outstanding collection of Asian, Near Eastern, and contemporary American art that he bequeathed to the Smithsonian Institution in 1906, together with plans for a museum to house his collection, the Freer Gallery of Art. Deeply influenced by the innovative American artist and Japoniste James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), Freer envisioned the museum as a holistic setting for his collection, harmonizing aesthetics from both East and West. Freer’s meticulous attention to design and detail extended to the mountings for his large collection of Chinese and Japanese paintings. His plans included hiring scroll mounters from Japan to remount over 350 of the paintings onto panels, choosing antique textiles to suit his taste, a taste inspired by antiquarian trends. Together with archival records and textile sample books, an album of photographs and other mementos from the Miura family of mounters recently acquired by the museum elucidates this remarkable achievement and the historical context of Japanese scroll mounting in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
Abstract
The Japanese pavilion at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition was much admired by visitors. Unlike most of the fair buildings, however, the Ho-o-den remained in situ on the Wooded Island long after the exposition was over, thus providing an architectural reference for anyone interested in Japanese design. This article details the design, construction and initial reception of the Ho-o-den at the fair. A second article will explore the enduring influence of the building on American design.
Abstract
The arrival of the 21st century ushered in an era when fears and hopes crystallized around Japan, then perceived in the West as a country of new technologies. It was also seen as the nation of new fashion designers and in the 1990s Western media attributed a distinctly ‘Japanese character’ to the collections of Japanese fashion designers who stood out internationally. This article explores the encounter between the stereotypes of a Japan imagined by the West and the real clothing collections offered by brands such as Comme des Garçons, who exercised a major influence, in particular on Alexander McQueen and Iris van Herpen. In addition, this article aims to draw the attention of academic research to the unprecedented crossovers that fashion allows.