Journal

Inspiration: Embroidered kimonos, unworked space

A couple of weeks ago I went to the amazing exhibition of kimonos at Dundee V & A - Kimonos - Kyoto to Catwalk - and I took hundreds of detail photos of the kimonos on show.

Rather than lump them all together I am going to split them over several posts, each with an attached Gallery of photos.  I’ll also try and explain why I picked out each particular work.

This particular kimono is from Edo (modern day Tokyo) and was made between 1800 and 1850. The Sumurai, the ruling military class, had once gained their status through bravery on the battlefield but, during this time of peace, their status was shown by sumptuous dress, particularly the dress of women.  

Woemn of the Samurai class would have lived very constrained lives with very specific dress codes for specific times of day and the seasons. This outer kimono would have been worn to formal summer morning events. 

The kimono has been drawn on with ink (kaki-e) - the black flowers - and stencilled in a deep brownish maroon to imitate a kind of tie die (surihitta) before being embroidered with silk and gold threads.

Twenty or so years later the kimono was bought by Elizabeth Blakeway - many of these kimonos were imported to Great Britain following the success of the Japan Court at the 1862 International Exhibition in London.

They were mainly worn as informal, unstructured day clothes by women in the aesthetic movement, a way of demonstating their good taste and artistic sensibilities.

Elizabeth was married to George Murray Smith, publisher of The Cornhill Magazine, and she selected the kimono to wear for this watercolour portrait by Frederick William Burton in 1873.  She had added buttons to the front to keep it closed without the need for an Obi.

The kimono survives in amazing condition - now without the buttons - the embroidery still bright, the silk still intact.

From one wealthy woman to another, the garment a display of wealth and good taste, high fashion, culture.

Here is a photo gallery of other close ups of the kimono.

more kimono photos

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