Following Japan’s opening and the expansion of trade routes in the mid-19th century, Japonisme quickly spread across Europe and America. Just as Parisian Impressionists adopted compositional elements from Japanese prints and Oriental styles, William Merritt Chase was equally fascinated by the East. In the 1880s, the American painter created a series of “kimono portraits” of family and friends, including Young Woman in Japanese Dress, from the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza collection.
Chase’s enthusiasm for Oriental styles is closely linked to the influence of James Whistler’s Japanese-inspired paintings, evident in the connection between this work and Whistler’s Caprice in Purple and Gold: The Golden Screen. Photography was also a crucial influence on Chase’s work. Furthermore, the mysterious, evocative atmosphere, subtle light modulations, and loose brushwork in this composition have earned Chase recognition as a pioneer of American Impressionism.