Japanese Taishō Art Deco Kimono

A Japanese kimono from the late Taishō, early Showa period.

• First introduced to the world at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris in 1925. In Japan, Art Deco took on another dimension—often the old designs seen in traditional crafts were fused with contemporary Western designs.
• This new style flourished in book design and illustration, applied arts, and pattern designs when material and art magazines brought back by Japanese artists studying in the West provided inspiration.
• The woven design of this kimono incorporates two ubiquitous motifs from the Art Deco period: three wavy lines, and the lighting bolt, which can be seen on the Kodak Art Deco Lightning Bolt Folding Camera from the same period.