Toilette Japonaise

In 1854, after two centuries of isolationist policies, Japan reopened its ports for trade with the West, which sparked a craze in Europe for all things Japanese. Although Firmin-Girard never traveled to Japan, his interests in the country's subjects, costumes and décor is evident in this painting. The artist presents a toilette scene, a common theme in the Japanese Ukiyo-e prints he and other contemporary artists collected, laden with fashionable Japanese valuables. This painting was critically acclaimed in the 1873 Paris Salon, described as "one of the most successful works"of the exhibit.