«DISCOVERING» JAPAN ON THE PAGES OF THE ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS (1853-1854)

The Far East was an important economic direction in European politics of the second half of the XIX century. Closed for centuries from the outside world Japan became the object of attention of the West. An American squadron under the command of M. Perry arrived on the coast of Japan in 1853 to conclude a trade treaty with it and put an end to isolation. The «discovery» of the land of the Rising Sun became a significant event in world history which couldn’t pass unnoticed. The European press published reports about the progress and results of the USA expedition, about the mission of the Russian Empire under the command of E. V. Putyatin, pursuing the same goals, and ones about Japan, a little-known country for Europe, whose culture and art admired the European public. The article examines the publications of the British newspaper The Illustrated London News in 1853-1854, devoted to Japan. The author analyzes the image of the country which was presented to the Victorian readers, highlights the aspects that are most interesting to the authors of the articles and the tone with which the notes are written. The press of the Victorian era helps to look at the world through the eyes of contemporaries of Queen Victoria and to identify the features of the concept of the land of the Rising sun