While the world was being torn-apart by The Great War, it was also getting smaller. “Orientalism”—and a fascination with the East—had been the rage in Western Europe for the past several decades. And now, thanks to modern transport, increased trade, and a growing upper middle class, some people were able to indulge their fantasy of traveling to Asia and the Middle East. And, for those who could not afford such a trip, merchants (such as Arthur Liberty) were happy to import exotic Asian objets for an eager consumer at home.
The frame above, made in Japan in the Teens or Twenties, might have been brought home by a lucky traveler or imported by a clever shopkeeper. I found it in London where it may have spent the last 100 years.
More new frames tomorrow.