Vouwwaaier van witbruine struisveren op een montuur van smalle, gekronkelde benen van kunststof met schildpadmotief c. 1900 - 1925

Curator: I’m struck immediately by the lavishness of this fan. It's almost a cloud, an indulgence. Editor: It's cataloged as “Vouwwaaier van witbruine struisveren op een montuur van smalle, gekronkelde benen van kunststof met schildpadmotief.” The artist is recorded as Weduwe W. van der Hulst and it's estimated to have been crafted between 1900 and 1925. It provides insight into the societal position and habits of affluent women of the period. The mixed media, mainly textile and faux tortoiseshell plastic, raises interesting questions about mass manufacturing. Curator: Absolutely. Think of the ostrich farms, the processing, the delicate assembly—each feather meticulously placed. What narratives can this shed on female labor, the luxury trade, and colonialist acquisitions? Editor: It certainly represents an intersection between art and societal status. Considering fashion as a form of political speech, this accessory offered an unspoken language for wealthy women. Note the intimate scale, connecting it to boudoir culture and performative femininity within the household. Curator: You’re so right. These were definitely signifiers, both objects of beauty and declarations of access. Editor: The materials themselves speak to the artifice inherent in displaying wealth; artificial tortoiseshell points toward increasing access due to the advent of technologies capable of imitation. Who gets to claim value, and why? This piece really blurs the lines. Curator: Indeed. These sorts of questions offer crucial contextual background that help us better understand the social dimensions interwoven within artistic creation during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Editor: Yes, even something as apparently simple as a decorative fan reveals such layers once we interrogate material composition and cultural history!