In 1891 the V&A purchased this kimono from Liberty's, the London shop founded by Arthur Lasenby Liberty in 1875. Liberty's specialised in selling goods imported from Asia and played an important part in fostering the late 19th-century craze for all things Japanese. The garment is decorated with a pattern of rippling water, bamboo and birds. Such stylised natural motifs provided a new and important source of inspiration to British designers.