Fans have
been used throughout the ages for many different purposes. First and foremost
they have had a practical use for cooling oneself or another person. Who hasn’t
seen pictures from centuries past of servants using large fans of various kinds
to cool royalty or great personages?
My first introduction to the use of fans was
when I was a child living in Spain. Watching flamenco dancers use the fan as a
part of their art was captivating.
While I’ve
never personally witnessed it, I understand that fans have been used in other
forms of dance also.
Fans have
been a fashion accessory since at least the
4th century BC. It’s been noted
that ceremonial fans were used in church services to scare away insects away
from the consecrated bread and wine.
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| Queen Elizabeth I using a rigid feather fan |
Throughout
all regions of the world fans have been in vogue for thousands of years. Fans
from Asia found their way into the European culture in the seventeenth century.
In my post
in March http://colonialquills.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-language-of-fan.html
I addressed ladies using fans as a
means of subtle and private communication with men in public.
By the 18th
century, specialized craftsmen were designing fans in leaves or
sticks. Folded
fans were often decorated and painted.
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| 18th century painted folding fan |
A handheld
fan might be shaped like a portion of a circle and made of a thin material and mounted
on slats which revolve around a pivot so that it can be closed when not in use.
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| 18th century painted folding fan |
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| 18th century gown with matching fan |
The rigid or
screen fan also gained some popularity during the 18th and 19th century though
never as much as the folding fans because they were not as easy to carry.
The use of fans as a fashion adornment is not as common today, but they are still used to cool one’s self.
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| My fans |
Very interesting Janet. Some of those fans are lovely. Your fans are pretty. I have an old fan that folds similar to the 18th century painted folding fan that was my mother-in-law's. It has a large bird in it. She may have gotten it when they lived in Japan when her husband was stationed there. It's very pretty.
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Tina
Your fan sounds lovely, Tina. Fans seem to have been used throughout the world.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the spotlight on fans. I love them. Have several that were my mother's. And I've purchased one or two on my own.
ReplyDeleteI well remember reading your earlier post on the subtle communication of fans. But if everyone knew those signals, just how subtle was it, really?
Excellent point, Judith.
DeleteAnd, how easy to get confused and send the wrong message.
When I think of fans, I always think of southern women holding their fans and creating a slight movement in the air and saying, "Oh my! I have the vapors." :-)
ReplyDeleteHa ha.That's funny, Melissa.
DeleteI've always been fascinated by hand-fans. I started collecting them when I was a child.
ReplyDeleteWow, Jennifer. That must be fun. I've found there is such a wide variety of them.
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