ABSTRACT
It was a happy coincidence that the emergence of shopping, as a leisure occupation in an increasingly prosperous Britain, came in the late Victorian years when Japanese art and artefacts were readily available both for travellers in Japan and for stay-at-homes in new and expanding department stores. The development of what was later to be called mass consumerism brought middle-class women1 out of the home and into the shops. And, for these women, having the freedom to move around was a new experience. The excitement of shopping was also mixed with a sense of pride in Britain’s imperial achievement. Everyone knew the map of the world showed the British Empire vividly coloured in red; everyone looked for the exotic products of this strange world in the shops. For this purpose Japan was regarded as being within the British sphere of influence.
