This watercolour by E.W. Godwin came from an album that contained various ideas for design, as well as figure and costume studies.

Domestic literature of the period offered advice on all matters pertaining to the home. The seated model here, holding a fan, forms part of the decor, together with the ceramic vase with its artfully arranged reeds and the print of the crane on the wall. The Aesthetic interior often featured "oriental" (the term for East Asian that would have been used at the time) objects, and this interior points to the popularity of Japanese style.

© Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Pattern: 
Drawing
Maker: 
Edward William Godwin (1833-1886)
Made in
United Kingdom
Victoria & Albert Museum, London
E.286:29-1963