FAN, HAND - IVORY, SILK AND SATIN
c. 1875 - 1975Fan has 16 coated wooden ribs pivoting on a non ferrous metal shackle, with the silk material layered with a thickening material between them and stitched onto the ribs. The front of the fan has a floral pattern on a cream background, featuring a white, a yellow and a red large flowers and then a series of smaller white flowers that move across the fan. All flowers attached to a thin wooden branch.
The fan belonged to the grandmother of Mrs Bently and used in c1875 as both a fashion accessory and to stay cool on a hot night while wearing a full gown.
The folding fan is believed to have developed in Japan during the 6th century C.E. Over the next five hundred years it spread across parts of Asia including China. In the 1500s regular trade between Europe and China started and the folding fan was introduced to Europe. The fan quickly became a highly sought after ornate and expensive fashion accessory for women in European royal courts. In the 1700s the fan was no longer the exclusive property of the elite. Mass produced cheap fans became available, made in Europe and China. At the start of the 1800s the fan fell out of fashion. In the 1820s the fan came back into fashion and was often designed to match or from the same fabric as the dress. Many fans from this period were large and highly decorated with romantic scenes from the 17th and 18th centuries.
In the 1900s fans remained in fashion but they became smaller and more delicate to match the changing fashion. The fan also became restricted to use with evening wear. By the 1920s though the fan was once again out of fashion. Fans were something for older women to use or were used as part of advertising campaigns. Through Asia fans remained popular during this time and continue to be popular today.
