Fan

Art Historical Context

This elegant late 19th-century fan, crafted from wood, paper, wool and silk, exemplifies the accessories of the Belle Époque era. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, it hails from the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection, gifted in 2009 from an earlier 1915 donation by M. Austen. With its floral motifs—a popular decorative theme—the fan reflects the refined taste of Parisian high society, where such items were both functional and fashionable. Fans like this one were indispensable for women at balls, operas, and social gatherings, serving practical purposes like cooling and fanning away scents while doubling as subtle tools for flirtation through a coded "language of the fan." The combination of materials highlights artisanal techniques: a wooden frame for structure, delicate paper or silk for the leaf, and wool accents for texture, often hand-painted or embroidered with vibrant flowers symbolizing beauty and transience. As a snapshot of everyday luxury, this anonymous masterpiece underscores the Costume Institute's focus on how adornments shaped identity and etiquette in 19th-century France, inviting us to imagine the graceful hands that once wielded it.