Hand Fan
PeriodCirca 1860-1870
Place MadeFrance
MediumPaper, painted wood, brass
Dimensions12 in. (30.5 cm)
ClassificationsCostume, Women's
Credit LineGift of Mrs. Andrew Varick Stout, 1947
Object number3187
DescriptionA woman's hand fan, constructed of carved and pierced ivory sticks stamped in silver gilt. The fan is pinned with a brass peg which also includes a stamped and bent brass waist loop ring. The fan's paper is pale pink, with extensive printed silver gilt ornamentiation of floral and foliate scrolls and springs. A large central panel includes numerous figures in a pastoral landscape, dressed in romanticized 17th century costumes.Curatorial RemarksHand fans were an important accessory in many women's wardrobes for centuries. Not only were fans a practical accessory, they provided space for elaborate and colorful decoration. The Impressionist artist Pierre Auguste Renoir got his start as a fan painter, painting fans to earn money for art school in the late 1850s. As the 19th century drew to a close, hand fans became larger in part to balance the large sleeves on women's garments and gowns. By 1910 or so, fans began to quickly drop out of favor.NotesAccording to donor Mrs. Andrew Varick Stout, this fan was owned and used by her grandmother, Ann Elizabeth Wardell.
Collections
