On December 31, 1600, Elizabeth I put her signature on the royal charter of the English
East India Comp
any, giving it a monopoly of all English trade to the
east
of
the Cape of Good Hope. India was
the greatest of its territories, the China trade the source of its
fortunes, and mutiny the cause of its eventual demise. Contact with these
foreign areas
infused a new air of exoticism into the cultural life of 18th century England, touching areas
as diverse as fashion, food, decorative arts, architecture, and painting. Explore Britain's
passion for aesthetics of the exotic by traveling through the pages below.
Site
was created by Michelle Brown, Nicole DeRosia, Amber Matheson, and Paul
Winterstein
at the University of Michigan for Professor David Porter.