Historic Treasure of the Week - March 29, 1992
By Jan Buffington
Vigo County Historical Society
Historic Treasure of the Week - March 29, 1992
By Jan Buffington
Vigo County Historical Society
Feather fans popular through the ages
Fans made of feathers have been used by men and women since ancient times. They were made from many varieties of birds from the lowly chicken to the regal peacock.
Sticks and ribs for the fans came in many varieties, too. Some fans were made of wooden sticks while fancier ones were made of mother-of-pearl, silver, ivory and tortiseshell.
The length of the fan could be varied, also. Small feather fans were made with goose down, hummingbird, green beetle wings, etc. The range of choices for the medium-sized fans was limitless; eagle, pheasant, quail, goose, chicken and emu to name just a few.
Long fans were made from peacock and ostrich. Their length could be extended by attaching feathers to the tips of other feathers. These were said to have a waterfall effect.
Feather fans came in a multitude of shapes. Most were in the traditional folded fan shape, but some were small and round, some looked like leaves or flower petals, some looked like a bird’s wing, and some were just one feather on a stick.
One of the most interesting shapes for a feather fan was one which looked like a butterfly. To make the butterfly fan work, the user waved the stick and the wings flopped up and down t make the air move.
Feather fans were very popular from 1875 to 1910 and again in the 1920s. In the 1930s, fans were used mainly for court functions by debutantes or by elderly ladies.
The historical treasure for the week is a white ostrich fan. It has 12 feathers attached to tortiseshell ribs with thread. Each feather was curled as in the tradition of the English Court presentation fans.
Not much is known about this fan, but I imagine the original owner must have felt she was elegantly dressed when she used it. This fan and others are displayed in the Dressmaker’s Shop on the second floor of the museum.
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.