Folding fan
1880â1900
Classification
costume & accessories
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Heather Sandifer
Accession Number
2016-9-1
About this artwork
Folding fan with Aesthetic Movement style printed cotton leaf depicting eight different overlapping designs for ceramic plates of the period surrounded by a small fish scale pattern. The reverse leaf is dyed and glazed dark brown cottton. The sticks and guards are made of wood ebonized black with unpainted wood slips in between the two layers of the leaf. At the edge of the fan, binding the two layers together, is a narrow woven binding tape that is dyed black. At the rivet there is a bone washe...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...