[3] Fannie and her husband, businessman James D. Macaulay, lived on South Fourth Street in Louisville, Kentucky.
"[3] The title was inspired by Caldwell's students, who called her their "Lady of the Decoration" every time that she "pinned on her little enameled watch.
"[3] The book is set between 1901 and 1905, and is written in the form of letters home to a female friend or sister; it's not made clear.
At the beginning of the 20th century, most Americans knew very little of Japan, and Caldwell's novel presented a view of Japanese life that captured the imagination of the reading public, who made it the number 1 bestselling novel in the United States for 1907.
Caldwell eventually returned to Kentucky, where she lectured on Japan and continued to write books after the success of The Lady of the Decoration.