Fan
1920s (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Ostriches began being farmed in Cape Town in South Africa in 1865. Their feathers could be plucked from the tail of a live bird without harming it. The demand for feathers was very high, with many being exported in great numbers to New York. London became the centre of the market for feathers.
Ostrich fans as well as boas and hats, reached widespread popularity from the 1900s onwards. The feathers were mounted in different arrangements on different materials including ivory, tortoiseshell or celluloid and plastic imitations. For the most luxurious examples, feathers were dyed to match the dress worn. Ostrich feathers and those from rare birds were seen as being in tune with the fashion for 'exoticism' in the 1910s and 1920s, and the intense shade of orange of this example would have been seen as a chic evocation of non-Western cultures.
Ostrich fans as well as boas and hats, reached widespread popularity from the 1900s onwards. The feathers were mounted in different arrangements on different materials including ivory, tortoiseshell or celluloid and plastic imitations. For the most luxurious examples, feathers were dyed to match the dress worn. Ostrich feathers and those from rare birds were seen as being in tune with the fashion for 'exoticism' in the 1910s and 1920s, and the intense shade of orange of this example would have been seen as a chic evocation of non-Western cultures.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Ostrich feathers, metal and pierced imitation tortoiseshell |
| Brief description | Fan of ostrich feathers, made in England, 1920s |
| Physical description | Fan of ostrich feathers consisting of four sticks including the guards, and with the feathers attached to each one. Dyed ostrich plumes graded in colour from deep orange to cadmium yellow. Sticks of imitation tortoiseshell pierced at the handle and held in place by a metal rivet with washers, and a carrying loop also of imitation tortoiseshell. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by John Harding |
| Object history | Registered File number 1986/375. |
| Summary | Ostriches began being farmed in Cape Town in South Africa in 1865. Their feathers could be plucked from the tail of a live bird without harming it. The demand for feathers was very high, with many being exported in great numbers to New York. London became the centre of the market for feathers. Ostrich fans as well as boas and hats, reached widespread popularity from the 1900s onwards. The feathers were mounted in different arrangements on different materials including ivory, tortoiseshell or celluloid and plastic imitations. For the most luxurious examples, feathers were dyed to match the dress worn. Ostrich feathers and those from rare birds were seen as being in tune with the fashion for 'exoticism' in the 1910s and 1920s, and the intense shade of orange of this example would have been seen as a chic evocation of non-Western cultures. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.98-1986 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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