Fan 1840s - 1850s

This fan, by Eugene André, resides here at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Fans like this one have been important cultural objects, especially for women in the 18th and 19th centuries. They were more than just functional items; they were tools of communication. The language of the fan was real. It was part of the visual semiotics of courtship, a way to express interest or disinterest in a suitor. How a woman held her fan could signal everything from flirtation to rejection. But let's think about who had access to this form of expression. These fans were luxury items, primarily used by women of the upper classes. So, while they offered a means of expression, it was an expression limited by class and social standing. The painted scenes on the fan often depicted idealized versions of aristocratic life, reinforcing the values and norms of that society. In the end, this fan, with its delicate construction and painted scenes, reminds us of the complex ways that objects can be both beautiful and loaded with social and historical meaning.