FAN, HAND - IVORY FRAME

This fan belonged to a member of the Dumsday family who came to Western Australia from Victoria in the 1890s, lived in Subiaco for a time before moving to Forrestdale in the early 1900s. The fan was possibly used by Laura Dumsday or one daughter Lillian who would marry Alfred Skeet of Forrestdale. Both Laura and Lillian enjoyed music and often attended shows in Melbourne, Perth as well as community events around Forrestdale. The fan would have been used to keep them cool as most venues whould of had no cooling systems in the early 1900s.
The folding fan is believed to have been 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.