A Voyage to the Floating World

Once isolated and mysterious, Japan captured the world’s imagination when it opened its doors to outsiders in the mid-19th century. A colorful new exhibition from the LSU Libraries’ Special Collections, called A Voyage to the Floating World: Japanese-Illustrated books and East-West Cultural Exchange in the Nineteenth Century features a wide range of rare books, prints, and photographs that provide a snapshot of Japan at the moment of its transition from a feudal state to a modern superpower. Japanese artists’ influence on the Impressionist and Art Nouveau movements in Europe and America is an area of focus. Books on early Western encounters with Japan will also be on display. Hill Memorial Library, on LSU's campus. Visit lib.lsu.edu/special for more information.