After Japan was forcibly opened to Western trade in 1858, an influx of Japanese goods came pouring into Europe. Japanese designs and motifs held significant influence over Aesthetic Movement artists, with major art historical figures such as James Whistler, Eduoard Manet, and Vincent Van Gogh incorporating a decidedly japonisme style in many of their famous works. The transfer-printed decorations on this comport show how japonisme disseminated through all classes of goods in the late 19th century. The comport, made by Copeland Spode in the 1870s, was produced for middle-class consumers who would have appreciated the fashionable and refined “exotic” style.