Fan
The imagery is very expressive of the romantic fantasy and erotic undertones that is inherent in fan leaves of the Victorian era. On the obverse are groups of women in Western fashion, in well to do and structured surroundings, exchanging love messages from suitors presumably far away. On the reverse is a romanticized Indian or European maiden wearing filmy garments with an American Indian in unchaperoned surroundings, the setting and the tepees in the background representing a much simpler and less restrictive life; fans were used for flirting and it seems that the scene on the reverse would be a possible message to a suitor
Artwork Details
- Title: Fan
- Date: 1860–70
- Culture: probably French
- Medium: ivory, paper, gouache, mother-of-pearl, metal
- Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Samuel Israel, 1941
- Object Number: 2009.300.1764
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
French
1824
French
1804–5
Maison Léoty
1891
House of Worth
Charles Frederick Worth
ca. 1872
French
ca. 1872
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.