Fan
1880-1890 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
In the 1870s and 1880s, many fans and dresses were made of the same fabric. This was so that the two would match exactly. It is unusual for both dress and fan to survive. In this case, the unpicked dress panel accompanied the fan when it was bequeathed to the V&A. The use of machine embroidery on fan leaves developed during the period 1850 to 1900. It was first shown at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851. The quality of machine embroidery soon rivalled that of hand needlework, and the mechanised version became a popular technique for embellishing both clothing and fans.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Machine-embroidered satin in silks, edged with bobbin lace, backed with silk, mother-of-pearl, metal |
| Brief description | Fan of machine-embroidered satin in silks with mother-of-pearl sticks, Great Britain, 1880-1890 |
| Physical description | Fan of machine-embroidered satin in silks, with polished mother-of-pearl sticks (probably Pinctada sp.), and guards. With a silvered loop for suspension. Edged with white Mechlin bobbin lace with a simple flower and scroll design. Backed with white silk. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by Miss M. E. Pleydell-Bouverie |
| Object history | RF number is 1965/2642. |
| Summary | In the 1870s and 1880s, many fans and dresses were made of the same fabric. This was so that the two would match exactly. It is unusual for both dress and fan to survive. In this case, the unpicked dress panel accompanied the fan when it was bequeathed to the V&A. The use of machine embroidery on fan leaves developed during the period 1850 to 1900. It was first shown at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851. The quality of machine embroidery soon rivalled that of hand needlework, and the mechanised version became a popular technique for embellishing both clothing and fans. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.327-1965 |
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| Record created | December 12, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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