Images(2)

Hand Fan

PeriodCirca 1860

Place MadeProbably France

MediumGilded wood, silk, brass spangles

Dimensions11 in. (27.9 cm)

ClassificationsCostume, Women's

Credit LineGift of Miss Lauretta Stillwell Miller, 1935

Object number734

DescriptionA woman's hand fan, with wide shaped and pierced wooden sticks, brightly gilded, fastened with a small brass pin at the fan's base, with an attached embossed wrist ribbon loop. The fan opens to reveal a relatively narrow band of black silk, extensively embroidered with tiny bright brass spangles in starbursts, carnations, ovoids, and double ring shapes.
Curatorial RemarksThis hand fan is thought to have been produced in France sometime in the mid1800s, possibly around 1850-1860. The bright gilding on the sticks highlights the elaborate pierced decoration. Above, a strip of black silk is extensively ornamented with hundreds of tiny brass spangles. Often called sequins, these bits of metal were punched out using hand-hammered dies, then sewn by hand onto the fabric. When used in an evening setting, fans like this would glitter in the candlelight. The brass loop at the bottom of the fan sticks was usually attached to a ribbon or cording to loop around the owner's wrist.NotesThis elegant fan was owned and used by Monmouth County resident Laura Stillwell Miller. Born in Manalapan in 1845, Lauretta was the daughter of Scottish immigrant Elizabeth Sophia Gillies (1813-1890) and John Edwin Stillwell (1813-1873). Laura married Captain David Miller (1832-1912) in 1869. Miller had served as an officer in the Union Army during the Civil War. The couple lived first in New York, then moved to Monmouth County. Laura's daughter, Lauretta "Etta" Stillwell Miller, lived in Red Bank and was highly active in family genealogy as well as a member of the Monmouth County Historical Association. Miss Miller donated a number of Stillwell family items, including this fan. The fan retains its original intake tag from 1935, noting its history.

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