Christopher Dresser (1834-1904) and Meiji Japan: A Transcultural Approach to Perceived Nationalized Aesthetics in Material Culture

I wish to pursue a transcultural research approach to the exchange of perceived
nationalized aesthetics in material culture, focusing on textiles, between Japan and
Great Britain and to what extent Meiji Era (1868-1912) textiles were altered to suit
western taste. What do extant textiles confirm about the exchange and interpretation of
manufacture and design practices between Japan and Great Britain? To explore this
question, I wish to offer a new decolonial approach to Christopher Dresser's crosscultural exchange trip to Japan in 1876 on behalf of the Victoria & Albert Museum and
subsequent textile design and writing. I aim to achieve this through theoretical, archival
and collection-based research drawing from Japanese art history theory as opposed to
Aesthetic movement scholarship. Dresser's trip in 1876/77 served many purposes: to
bring a curated collection of European decorative arts to the Tokyo National Museum, to
impart the 'European aesthetic' and modern industrial techniques to Japanese
manufacturers to aid in successfully increasing their export market, and to add to his
own business venture Londos & Co.'s and Tiffany & Co.'s Japanese collections. My
research project would be divided into three sections: an analysis of textiles Dresser
purchased on his trip to Japan; the Anglo-Japanese textiles designed by Dresser before
and after his trip to Japan; and an examination of Meiji textiles produced in the Nishijin
textile district in Kyoto before and after Dresser's visit.