Esther M. Zimmer Lederberg: Fans

Jean-Antoine Watteau's paintings influenced the art found on many fans. This painting "Les Plaisirs du Bal" is such an example.

The fan was used as a linguistic tool. Explicitly:

"... the alphabet was divided into five sections, omitting the letter J ², each of which corresponded to one of five movements:

Moving the fan wth the left hand to the right arm

Moving the fan wth the right hand to the left arm

Placing the fan against the bosom

Raising the fan to the mouth

Raising the fan to the forehead

Two movements, signaling two numbers, were required in order to signify a single letter of the alphabet. The first number would correspond to one of the five groups in the alphabet; the second would indicate the letter's position in this group. The letter D, for example, required movement 1, because D was in the first section of the alphabet, followed by movement 4 because D was the fourth letter in that section of the alphabet.
This was a cumbersome system, one that was probably seldom employed. But other systems of fan communication also existed, whereby entire words or phrases could be conveyed by a single movement: For example, to signal "You may kiss me," a woman was to press the half-opened fan to her lips. To convey her love, she was to place the shut fan near her heart. In the nineteenth century, the Parisian fan maker Pierre Duvelleroy published yet another version of the code, which included the following examples:

Twirling the fan in the left hand: We are watched.
Carrying the fan in the right hand in front of the face: Follow me.
Covering the left ear with the open fan: Do not betray our secret.
Drawing the fan through the hand: I hate you.
Drawing the fan across the cheek: I love you.
Touching the tip of the fan with the finger: I wish to speak to you.
Letting the fan rest on the right cheek: Yes.
Letting the fan rest on the left cheek: No.
Opening and shutting the fan: You are cruel.
Dropping the fan: We will be friends.
Fanning slowly: I am married.
Fanning rapidly: I am engaged.
Touching the handle of the fan to the lips: Kiss me." ^{3, 4}

Other fan languages were also employed. However, here is an interesting question. Women used fans, but how did the men carry on a conversation with a woman that was using a fan to communicate? Men were intended to understand a woman's use of fan languages. However, men commonly used fans too! ⁵ Click to see painting of men using fans.

Country/Language	Term
Albanian	Tifoz
Austria	Same as Germany
Bulgarian	Фен
Catalan	Fan
Czech	Vejir
Estonian	Fänn
Finnish	Tauuletin
France	les Éventails
Galician (Iberia)	Fan
Germany	der Fächer, der Briséfächer, der Faltfächer, der Federfächer, der Hochzeitsfächer, der Radfächer, der Tanzfächer, der Trauerfächer
House of Orange-Nassau	—
Italy	Ventaglio
Kazach	Желпуiш
Latin	Vannus
Lithuanian	Ventilatorius
Netherlands, Holland, Flanders (Valaanderen)/Dutch	Waaier/Wanne
Norwegian	Vifte
Polish	Wachlarz
Portuguese	Fä, Abano (Fire fan, like a bellow, "History of the Fan"; Rhead, G. Woolliscroft; p. 12)
Romanian	Florina
Russia	Веер (veer, see Netherlands), Свадебный веер, Веер бризе, Опахало
Slovak	Vetrak
Spain	los Abanicos
Swedish	Handfläkt
Turkish	Fan, Yelpaze
Ukrainian	Вiяло

Term	Definition
À l'Anglaise	Ribs are applied or attached to a single leaf (as opposed to being attached between two leaves). Thus the ribs are visible on the reverse of the fan Click to see.
À la sultane	One (demi sultane) or more of the sticks of the leaf are mounted on the obverse of the leaf.
Alphabet fan	With simple lessons for teaching children.
Asymmetrical fans Click to see	Asymmetrical fans are modern.
Arched	See Fontange
Articulated fans	Articulated fans allow some motion. One articulated fan is described as having articulated sticks. When moved up and down, a brass pin causes the heads of three ladies and the heads of three gentlemen to be viewed through little windows.
Badins (French: playful)	See Ribbon, "History of the Fan"; Rhead, G. Woolliscroft, p. 152.
Balloon fan shape Click to see	An elongated symmetrical fan shape.
Battoir sticks	See sticks. Sticks that resemble a battoir (French: racquet). Sticks also exist that resemble a feather.
Bergerades, fete champetre (French)	Every day life, out doors, rural festivals.
Bodycolour	Watercolour mixed with chalk.
Bridal fans	Gift from groom to bride, these fans often show portraits of bride and groom.
Brin (French)	Stick.
Brisé Click to see	A fan consisting of ribs only, forming a flat surface when open, held together at the top by a cord or ribbon, threaded, slotted, or pasted on.
Burgeau	See goldfish.
Cabochon	Polished, but unfaceted stone (often used in rivet).
Cabriolet fan Click to see	A fan with more than one concentric leaves is called a "cabriolet fan".
Camaïeu (French)	A painting on a fan leaf in different shades of the same color (usually rose or blue).
Canepin, calpin	Fine kid leather used for leaves.
Cartels Click to see	Cartels are "islands" of figures or scenes as art placed upon the leaf of a fan. Other names for cartels are vignets and cartouches Click to see
Chapel fan	Used by Chapel goers.
Chicken-skin	Skin from unborn kids dressed and treated for fans (very fine grained).
Children's fans	Fans for children or for dolls (c. 4 inches to 8 inches), mostly Italian.
Circular	See Cockade
Clouté	Mother-of-pearl attached with gold or silver thread.
Cocarde (French)	See Cockade fan.
Cockade Click to see	Either of the brisé or pleated (folded) kind, which opens up around the pivot set at the top center of the fan (as opposed to the bottom center at the base). The fan is thus circular or has the shape of a lune. Sometimes called a parasol fan.
Composite fan	Two leaves combine and work together as one leave. Click to see.
Contrepanache	Against the guard. A third guardstick applied to the left guardstick (when the fan is opened, the obverse leaf is framed by two guardsticks. The lef will appear more symmetrical.
Coquille d'ormeu (mother-of-pearl from abalone).	Sticks with a finely perforated ground and solid reserves carved in bas relief.
*Corisandre fans*	Small, green, paper fans used by men in Paris in 1828, as well as in Venice and the principal cities in Italy. "History of the Fan", Rhead, G. Woolliscroft, p. 174
Dagger fans	A folded fan in which the handle withdraws, exposing a dagger. Italian stilettos or Japanese.
Duck's Foot fan	A fan with a shape that looks like a Duck's foot Click to see.
Eau de Nil	Greenish colour (resembling the water colour of the Nile).
Écran (French)	Handscreen
Écaille (tortoiseshell French)	Sticks or ribs constructed from tortoiseshell.
Evolution of Fan Shapes and Gorge size	Fan Shape and Gorge Size changes Click to see.
Faltfächer (German)	A folding fan.
Federfächer (German)	A feather fan.
Filigree (filigrane French)	Gold, silver, or copper wire used as a delicate illuminantal ornament (often a wire network on top of another surface, compare to piqué) Click to see.
Flag handscreen Click to see, and Feather Flag handscreen Click to see	Flag handscreens are a very early type of handscreen.
Folding or pleated fan Click to see	See mount
Feuille (French)	See mount or leaf
Fontange	The name for fans in which the guard ribs are shorter than the apex of the leaf. Also called "palmette" and "arched".
Goldfish	A translucent mother-of-pearl used on sticks to enhance white mother-of-pearl.
Gorge Click to see	The part of the fan immediately above the pivot until the shoulder. Click to see.
Gouache	Opaque colors used to paint a fan. Opaque colors made by mixing glue with watercolors. Dries to lighter colors.
Grisaille (en grisaille)	"Gris" means the color grey (French). En grisaille means different shades of grey. See Camaïeu. putti en grisaille Click to see
Guard (panache French) Click to see	The outer ribs of a fan (usually stronger than the other ribs and sticks) and as the guard ribs can more easily be seen, are often more decorated.
Handscreen, Click to see	A handscreen is a fan which does not fold and is usually held by a handle. Handschirm (German).
Heraldic symbols	Armor, coronets (baronial, ducal or regal crowns), fortresses, flags and other signs that confer status to individuals suffering social maladjustments, feelings of inferiority, being nuveau riche, etc. may be applied to fan leaves or guards.
Hochzeitsfächer (German)	A wedding fan.
Hondecoeter, Melchoir de (in the manner of) Click to see	Melchoir de Hondecoeter (Dutch, 1636-1695) painted exotic birds on fan leaves.
Japanning	Painting lacqer over sicks and guards.
Leaf (feuille French)	See Mount
Loop	A curved "loop" of sturdy material such as metal, attached to the pivot. a cord or ribbon may then be attached to the loop.
Lorgnette fan Click to see	A lorgnette fan has lenses for seeing incorperated into the fan.
Mica	A silico-aluminate of potassium, iron, or magnesium. This substance has the appearance of a scaly, bright, transparent stone used on some fans.
Minuet fans	Minuet fans are very small brisé fans of ivory, horn, or mother-of-pearl (nacre).
Monture (French)	See stick.
Monture sultane (á la Sultane)	Ornamental ribs are visible on the obverse of the fan. Demi-sultane: only a few of the ribs show on the leaf.
Mosaique (French)	Sticks with a finely perforated ground and solid reserves carved in bas relief.
Mother-of-pearl (nacre French)	An irredescent material with different appearance depending upon the seashell type used.
Mould	Two identical sheets of pleated, stout paper (sometimes a single folded piece of paper) in the shape of a quadrangle. The leaf is insertred between these two surfaces of the mould, then folded like an accordion, and inserted in a tight sheath. After a period of time, when the leaf is removed from the mould, the leaf has a permanent pleating.
Mount Click to see	The portion of the fan which is placed onto and over the ribs. Also known as the leaf. It maty be pleated. It may be composed of a variety of materials such as paper, vellum, silk, cotton, lace, feathers, etc. It may be single or double(on one side of the ribs or both).
Mourner's fan	Identified by an absence of colour, often combined with scenes suggestive of death or "tempus fugit" themes.
Needle lace Click to see	Needle lace is a very fine lace used for fan leaves.
Palmette	See Fontange
Obverse	Front of the fan (faces the viewer).
Опахало Click to see	An Опахало fan is typically a fan on a long handle, used by a servant (slave) to fan a king or potentate.
Panache (French)	Guard stick.
Paper	See Mount: the unmounted leaf of a fan (not yet placed over the ribs). A commonly used term during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Parasol	See Cockade
Pavé	Small sequins placed close together or tiled like Byzantine mosaic. A term used by jewellery makers.
People's fan Click to see	Fans made around the time of the French Revolution: discussed poltical affairs of the day. A kind of political "newspaper".
Perfumed fans Click to see	Fans may combine the scents of flowers, and be associated with garden insects. For example, insects often have opalescent appearing outer skeletons that are reminiscent of mother-of-pearl.
Picot	A lace-like edging.
Piqué Click to see	A form of decoration used mainly on hard surfaces such as ribs. The ribs being composed of tortoiseshell and ivory. Developed in Italy, piqué consists of shapes made by etching the hard surface and creating dots of gold or silver inlay (as opposed to filigree, which is not inlayed). piqué is like micro intarsia.
Pivot	A metal axil threaded through the lower part of the ribs (or the upper part of a cockade's ribs). Thus the ribs can rotate around this axil. Both ends of this pivot have a stop that prevents the ribs from detaching from the axil. Sometimes this pivot stops are called rivets. These stops or rivets can be made from a jewel button or of paste. Sometimes the pivot is enlarged to permit the axil to be a monocular spy-glass, or even a watch Click to see.
pliant fan Click to see	See mount
Plié fan	See mount, or pleated fan.
Point de gaze lace	See needle lace.
Pongé de soie	A silk gauze fabric slightly elasticated.
Press	See Mould
Putto (putti plural)	Putti, and cherubim are naked angelic children with wings that signify the presence of god. Cupids are youths, often naked and with wings that function in the same capacity.
Radfächer (German)	A cockade fan.
Reserves	The outer surfaces of the leaf.
Reticella lace	See needle lace.
Reverse Click to see	The surface of the leaf, usually facing the user of the fan.
Ribbon	A ribbon passes through each stick of a Brisé fan to hold the fan together. See Badins, Brisé.
Ribs Click to see	The upper part of the sticks that support the leaf, or the hollow main shaft (calamus) if feathers are used as ribs. Ribs may be gilded or silver leaf may be used to decorate ribs. Intarsia (inlays) may be used such as ivory in wood ribs, wood marquettry, mother of pearl, precious stones, gold or silver, intrasia, etc. Alternatively, wood intarsia (marquettry), and semiprecious stones, metal, horn, and tortoise shell intarsia inlays can be used in ivory ribs. Also, see sticks.
Rivet Click to see	The stops or axil terminals of a pivot, to keep the ribs from detaching from the axil.
Rivière (French)	See rivet.
Rocaille	Decorative style of rounded lines and shell shapes (curves, counter-curves, undulations, etc.) found in palace garden grottos.
Rococo	A decorative design of asymmetrical patterns of scroll and shell motifs Click to see.
Sequins Click to see	Sequins are yet another form of illumination.
Shoulder Click to see	The guards and sticks of a fan (where held by the hand) must be stronger, thus wider than the ribs. For delicacy as well as geometry, the wider sticks and guards become narrower. That area of the guards and sticks that becomes narrower is called the shoulder. Shoulder Click to see
Social status symbols or political or racial codes Click to see	Another example Click to see, Slavery Abolitionist fans, Fall of the Bastille fans, Assignat (valueless paper money) fans, "Nigger" parlance fans, Mazarinade fans ("History of the Fan"; Rhead, G. Wooliscroft, p. 222, p. 221, p. 223, p. 242, p. 152)
Spangled fan	Embroidered fans. See "History of the Fan"; by Rhead, Woolliscroft, pp. 121, 199
Spangles	Pressed metal shapes.
Sticks Click to see	Lower part of ribs: part of a fan that is larger and stronger than the ribs, the part held by the hand. Also, see ribs. Also stäbe (German). Sometimes sticks are carved, and pierced, with guilt designs. Sticks Pierced with gilt Palmettes Click to see
Sunshade fan (Зонтик), Russian Click to see	The sunshade fan is a standard circular cockade fan, but a handle affixed at 90° perpendicular to the plane of the cockade, to get a parasol-like sunshade fan.
Tabletiers	Tabletiers created the montures (sticks and guards). These sculptures might be signed by the artists and might be quite plain or might be made of mother-of-pearl, tortoise shell, ivory, etc.
Tanzfächer (German)	A dance fan.
Trauerfächer (German)	A mourning fan.
Vellum	Calf skin especially treated to form a paper-like material. Used as leaves in early fans.
Vernis Martin	A varnish used to paint ribs. This varnish hardens the ribs. Especially used on brisé: ribs. Invented by the Martin workshops (c. 1720-1758).
Vignette	See Cartel.

The Livery companies refers to gyldes (guilds). All sorts of guilds, not only the Ffanmakers (old spelling), but cordwainers (shoe makers) Click to see, drapers Click to see, dyers, leather sellers, mercers Click to see, salters (salted fish and meat), goldsmiths, ironmongers, whifflers (ushers that played musical pipes), wild or greenwood men (dressed as pagan green trees carrying torches, made way in crowds), pepperers (grocers), woolmongers, coopers (barrel makers), fishmongers Click to see, pewterers, potteries, carpenters (used nails), joiners and ceilers (used adhesives), skinners (trade in skins and furs) Click to see, horners (made goods from animal horns), pattenmakers (wooden-soled overshoes), girdlers (belt makers) Click to see, gardeners, needlemakers, etc. Founding Livery Companies of London Click to see. The Charter (license) of the Worshipful Company of Ffan Makers goes back to 1709, when the monarch issued the charter. The purpose of a guild is to limit competition. A guild court could legally exercise various rights such as decalaring goods to be of an inferior quality, to seize goods (from non-guild shops without recompense), prevent sale or vend (export), etc. Members of the guild, identified by their clothes (livery) could seize and destroy "conterfeit" goods of their "mistery" (métier) or craft (trade). Their livery identified them as a policeman's uniform does now. Guilds exercised the rights of guild masters over guild apprentices for as long as seven years (typicaly age 14 through 21). Chartered companies had their rights in perpetuity and could create a "Hall" where members could assemble.

Fixed fans were imported during the Elizabethan period (1558-1603), folding fans were imported towards the end of the Elizabethan peiod. It is likely that fans continued to be imported during the early Stuart period (1603-1714, note that Cromwell's Puritan period was 1649-1659).

The fan industry was initiated in France by Catherine de Medici when she brought fans with her (from what would become Italy a few centuries later) c. 1550. The French Mercer's Guild retailed fans in France by 1600. ALL guilds were destroyed during the French Revolution. Circa 1685, many Huguenot fan makers that survived religious riots were forced to flee France, many to England, due to the Catholic Holy Inquisition.

In England, guild masters were "freemen" as they could work for themselves, free of the company, manor lord, etc. Freemen could move to free towns, rent or buy land. Master and apprentice signed a contract twice: two copies on one sheet of paper (paper was costly). The contract bound the apprentice to the master for seven years (ages 14 through 21). At the end of the apprenticship, the paper bearing two copies was torn in half, leaving an uneven serrated edge or "indenture": Master and apprentice each kept a copy. This record (or indenture) was the apprentice's "license". In case of questions, each copy could have the indentured edge "married" (matched, to prove authenticity) to see if the uneven edges of apprentice copy and master copy matched up.

As time passed, fans from Asia were made at the lowest possible cost, mass produced and imported to flood the English market. Lower costs were possible due to poor quality as the Asian workers were untrained: there were no guilds in Asia. These fans (Chinoiserie, later Japonaiserie) were imported by the East Indian Company (called "The John Company").

¹ "Les bijoux indescrets" or "The Indiscreet Toys", by Dennis Diderot.

"The entertainment being over, everyone went home directly, except Husseim, who conducted his wife into a house of veiled maidens, and there shut her up." [A convent] ... "The Sultan [Louis XV] embraced the opportunity, to learn some particulars of the life of these virgins. His [magical] Ring interrogated the Toy [talking clitoris/vagina] of a young recluse, whose name was Cleanthis; and the pretended virgin-Toy confessed two gardeners, a Bramin, and three cavaliers; ..." ibid., Chapter VIII. Also, "Bijou" is slang for vagina.

² "Conversation- or speaking-fans", "History of the Fan", by Rhead, G. Wooliscroft, p. 253

A through E: 1st movement (Moving the fan wth the left hand to the right arm), followed by the second movement

F through K: 2nd movement (Moving the fan wth the right hand to the left arm), followed by the second movement

L through P: 3rd movement (Placing the fan against the bosom), followed by the second movement

Q through U: 4th movement (Raising the fan to the mouth), followed by the second movement

V through Z: 5th movement (Raising the fan to the forehead), followed by the second movement

³ Steele, Valerie, "The Fan: Fashion and Femininity Unfolded", pp. 12-14

⁴ "Twirling in the right hand" (I love another).
"Fans", by Avril Hart and Emma Taylor, p. 109

⁵ "Pomanders were used by both men and women—... So too were fans before they became the monoploy of women, for in the east, where they had originated, the possession of a fan was associated from time immemorial with persons of the ruling class. It was not merely an attribute of femininity."
Wildeblood, Joan; Brinson, Peter; "The Polite World: A Guide to English Manners and Deportment from the Thirteenth to the Nineteenth Century", p. 155
"The practiced courtier developed fashionable mannerisms to aid his self-assurance, assisted by trifles carried on his person–pomander or scent bottle, pieces of jewellery to finger; in the earlier years of the century, a fan..."
ibid., p. 178
" Apart from the physical satisfaction of taking snuff and inhaling tobacco, there is it seems, a certain confiidence gained from the use of trifling properties which are carried on the person. To appear at ease, the sixteenth-century gentleman and lady learned to use gloves, pomanders, lockets, and fans. Men and women of the seventeenth century used the snuff-box and fan to help fill, perhaps, an awkward silence; the eighteenth-century beaux and their ladies refined the art of the snuff-box and the fan for similar reasons unconnected with mere physical pleasure; ..."
ibid., p. 217
ibid., pp. 220-222, and Appendix III, pp. 278-280.
"We should remember that here [Cadiz, Spain], as in the north, the fan is not confined to the delightful sex. The cavalier also has his fan, and, that the habit may not be considered an indication of effeminacy, learn that in this scorching clime the soldier will not mount guard without his solace".
"Contarim Fleming", by Disraeli, see "History of the Fan", Rhead, G. Woolliscroft, p. 135
"These fans both men and women of the country [Italy] do carry to cool themselves withal in the time of heat, by the often fanning of their faces."
"Crudities", by Thomas Coryat, see "History of the Fan", Rhead, G. Woolliscroft, p. 112

⁶ The emphasis is placed upon non-Asian fans, but a few examples of Asian fans will be given as an interesting contrast. For example, the use of fan illumination was clearly understood in non-Asian fans, but appears not to be found in Asian fans.

Esther M. Zimmer Lederberg
Fans

Click images or captions to view pages

Glossary

Different Names for Hand Fans in Different Countries

Glossary (Terms)

Some Well Known Fan-Makers

Examples of Fans ⁶

References

Esther M. Zimmer Lederberg Fans