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havenrich
Countess of the Manor Joined: 15 Sep 2006 Posts: 1567 Location: Hammond, La	Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:22 pm    Post subject: Fans   You mentioned awhile back about purchasing 2 fans, any chance you'll share images of them with us. And tell us more about them. I personally would love a copy of one (as I'm not deep in the pockets enough to buy the real deal). But I would love to hear about their detail, along with other type of fans they used in Regency times.
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Candice
Queen of the Board Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 2731 Location: Minneapolis, MN	Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:58 pm    Post subject:   I only have a small collection, and it's pretty specialized. So far I'm only collecting Regency brisé opera fans. Brisé means the sticks are decoratively pierced, generally each stick identically pierced, with no attachment of paper or silk along the top. Sometimes the piercing is the sole decoration. Sometimes there is a bit of painting on the sticks. And the term "opera fan" means they were pretty small, easily tucked into a reticule and carried to the opera. These smaller fans were a new style during the Regency, when women began carrying all their essentials in reticules/purses and not in hidden pockets in their skirts. So lots of those essential items became smaller. I did indeed buy two new fans during my May trip to England. One is tortoiseshell and one is ivory. Here is a picture of one of my painted ivory fans. Not the new one. I just happened to have a picture of this one at hand and thought I'd use it to show what type of fan I'm talking about. Last edited by Candice on Mon Jul 18, 2011 8:15 pm; edited 1 time in total
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havenrich
Countess of the Manor Joined: 15 Sep 2006 Posts: 1567 Location: Hammond, La	Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 10:18 pm    Post subject:   Wow, that is a beautiful fan. I have always loved fans as long as I can remember. I was once given one that was a paper fan with blue birds painted on it. I adored it..that is until my older brother ripped it. I was crushed. I've always wondered about pockets on their dresses and such..since most period movies don't show that sort of detail. If you've ever noticed they always carry everything in their hands..I'm thinking toss the stuff down and give your hands a break lol. Anyhow, thank you so much Candice for sharing this photo. I look forward to when you get the others put on your site as well.
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KalenHughes
Viscountess of the Manor Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 1100	Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 1:31 pm    Post subject: Georgian Fans?   Candice, What do you know about earlier Georgian fans? I just realized that I know bubkiss about them. eep! _________________ -Kalen w/a Isobel Carr Ripe for Pleasure, May 2011 Book 1: The League of Second Sons www.isobelcarr.com
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Candice
Queen of the Board Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 2731 Location: Minneapolis, MN	Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 2:26 am    Post subject:   I have lots of books on fans, Kalen, but have only done a cursory study of the ones I don't collect. If you ever need a reference, let me know. And if you're ever in London, be sure to visit the Fan Museum in Greenwich.
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KalenHughes
Viscountess of the Manor Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 1100	Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 1:50 pm    Post subject: Fan Museum   I'll add it to my list . . . so many things to do in London. No matter how much time I spend there I never seem to have "seen it all". _________________ -Kalen w/a Isobel Carr Ripe for Pleasure, May 2011 Book 1: The League of Second Sons www.isobelcarr.com
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Tiffina
Upstart Joined: 16 Sep 2006 Posts: 5 Location: Toronto Canada	Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 5:43 pm    Post subject:   OMG....I am drooling over that fan!!!! My mom gave me a fan it was just a nice black plastic (tortoise shell like) with lace in between the sticks...witha beautiful floral print...but I broke it in my younger years...it was from spain...one day I will buy a real one... But right now, my fetish is just for corsets.... _________________ I can only live wholly with you or not at all-Yes, I am resolved to wander so long away from you until I can fly to your arms and say that I am really at home with you, and can send my soul enwrapped in you into the lands of spirits-Beethoven
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JenniferY
Influential Member of the Ton Joined: 15 Sep 2006 Posts: 285 Location: Georgia	Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 6:40 pm    Post subject:   Does anyone know anything about the languages of fans? How to communicate with your fan? I have read several books where they mention this, but I know nothing about it.
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Candice
Queen of the Board Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 2731 Location: Minneapolis, MN	Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 8:37 pm    Post subject:   JenniferY wrote: Does anyone know anything about the languages of fans? How to communicate with your fan? I have read several books where they mention this, but I know nothing about it. I picked up a great little brochure on the language of fans from the Fan Museum in London, and used it in In the Thrill of the Night. Wilhelmina gives the other Merry Widows a refresher course in the langage of the fan, and Marianne puts it to use at the next ball. There are several websites that have info on the langauge of the fan. Here's one I have referenced in the past: http://www.ideco.com/fans/language.htm _________________
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Buddy
Encroaching Mushroom Joined: 02 Oct 2006 Posts: 162 Location: Canada	Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2006 10:48 am    Post subject:   I, too, think the painted ivory fan is absolutely gorgeous. Wow!!! I have never heard about 'fan language' and this sounds interesting.
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JenniferY
Influential Member of the Ton Joined: 15 Sep 2006 Posts: 285 Location: Georgia	Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2006 8:19 pm    Post subject:   Candice wrote: JenniferY wrote: Does anyone know anything about the languages of fans? How to communicate with your fan? I have read several books where they mention this, but I know nothing about it. I picked up a great little brochure on the language of fans from the Fan Museum in London, and used it in In the Thrill of the Night. Wilhelmina gives the other Merry Widows a refresher course in the langage of the fan, and Marianne puts it to use at the next ball. There are several websites that have info on the langauge of the fan. Here's one I have referenced in the past: http://www.ideco.com/fans/language.htm Thank you!!! I find it fascinating...like the language of roses.
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Stefanie
Encroaching Mushroom Joined: 05 Nov 2006 Posts: 200 Location: Belgium	Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2006 1:49 am    Post subject:   Oh, I just love fans! I don`t collect them, But I think their great to look at. Realy, little peices of art. Imagine... You, lying on a couch in summer. Waving with your fan for a little fresh air. A drink nearby. A handsome man to serve you... Why don`t dreams come true for one day or so? Stefanie
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Ranurgis
Influential Member of the Ton Joined: 23 Nov 2006 Posts: 290 Location: London, ON, Canada	Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 1:29 am    Post subject:   How big wood an opera fan be? About 5" to 6" or smaller? I don't even know the size of a reticule. I guess I imagine it to be something like an evening purse, though there are different sizes in those as well. My mother had a fan made of ivory but I can't remember what happened to it. It certainly was not as old as the Regency era. I just recently found one of my Chinese paper ones again. I definitely could have used it this summer.
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Ranurgis
Influential Member of the Ton Joined: 23 Nov 2006 Posts: 290 Location: London, ON, Canada	Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 1:31 am    Post subject:   Argh. Time to pack it in for the...hmm...night. That should be "would" and not "wood". It's closing in on 5 a.m. here. Definitely time to get to bed.
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Candice
Queen of the Board Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 2731 Location: Minneapolis, MN	Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 12:45 am    Post subject:   Ranurgis wrote: How big wood an opera fan be? About 5" to 6" or smaller? I don't even know the size of a reticule. I guess I imagine it to be something like an evening purse, though there are different sizes in those as well. My mother had a fan made of ivory but I can't remember what happened to it. It certainly was not as old as the Regency era. I just recently found one of my Chinese paper ones again. I definitely could have used it this summer. Hi Ranurgis! Welcome to the board. The sticks of an opera fan are about 7" or 8" long, give or take a bit. Most fans had 12" sticks or thereabouts, so the opera fan was quite a bit smaller. Reticules could be, and were, any size at all. For evening they would have been smaller and more dainty, but some of the ones I've seen for day wear were as big as any modern day large purse. Remember, woman had been used to stuffing all sorts of things in their pockets (meaning the separate pockets that were tied around the waist beneath the dress and accessed through a slit in the side seam). Because of the width of their skirts in the 18th century, they didn't much worry about their pockets bulging. But with the narrower skirts of the Regency, pockets were no longer an option. So, some early reticules were huge to accommodate all the stuff they had once carried in their pockets, including fans. But with the smaller evening reticules, you either had to tie a large fan around your wrist or carry a smaller fan that could fit in your reticule. _________________
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