All about objects-Christmas

Twelve Days of Collections: day six

- 3 min read

Welcome to day six of the Twelve Days of Collections! The sixth day of our series brings six geese-a-laying, or in our case, geese used for a slightly different purpose.

Within the Costume and Textiles collections cared for by Hampshire Cultural Trust is a wide range of accessories throughout history, including fans. White goose feathers seem to have been a popular material for fan crafting, as several examples in the collection can be found incorporating them, like these, most dating from the 1800s.

L: Fan, white goose feathers painted with design of birds and flowers in Chinese style, ivory sticks and guards decorated with gold, c. 1850s. R: Fan, white goose feathers finely painted with brightly coloured butterflies and flowers in Chinese style, pierced and carved ivory or bone sticks and guards, gilt loop with green silk cord, two silk tassels, c. 1840-60.
L: Fan, white goose feather painted in Chinese style with bright red and blue flowers, outer border of peacock feather, pierced ivory sticks and guards, brass loop, silk cord and tassel, c. mid-nineteenth century. R: Fan, white goose feather painted with flowers in soft colours, outer border of white marabou, pierced and carved ivory sticks and guards inlaid with silver, c. mid-nineteenth century
L: Fan, white goose feather leaf painted with flowers in the Chinese style in red, blue and green, outer border of white marabou, pierced and fretted ivory sticks and guards,c. 1840-1860. R: Fan, white goose feather leaf painted with dark green and pink flowers, pierced and fretted ivory sticks and guards.

Handheld fans date back thousands of years. Ruins and ancient texts have revealed that fans were used in Ancient Greece, from as early as 4th century BC. A fan was a popular ladies accessory in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the design would show the owner’s social status. Fans were often painted with colourful designs, including butterflies, flowers and birds.

As well as the obvious practical use for keeping cool, early fans were also used for ceremonial purposes. A popular belief is that in Victorian times, a lady could send secret messages within strict social etiquette by holding her fan in a specific way. Duvelleroy, a Parisian fan maker, claimed in a leaflet that a fan could be used to convey a range of sentiments, from ‘kiss me’ to ‘I hate you’!

Join us tomorrow for day seven, and catch up with the days so far here!

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Hampshire Cultural Trust

From museums to galleries to arts centres, we manage and support 24 attractions across the county, welcoming over 740,000 people each year. Our charitable purpose is changing lives through culture.
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