Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-05-06
Fans and Their Literature.

In the East, the use of the fan is of
remote antiquity. There is a fine coll
lection of fans among the Egyptian
antiquities in the British museum.
Terence. who lived in the second GEN.
tury, Il. C., refers, in one of his Latin
comedies. TO the fan. as used by the
ladies of ancient Rome.
The illustrations of vases and other
remains of the classic times of Greece
and Rome repres ent the kind of fans
which were in use in those days, while
the early manuscripts arc embellished
with drawings OF those Of medieval Ru-
rope. The great pictures of Titan and
his contemporaries carry the history
down TO more modern times.
The fan was first brought into Euro
pean notorietv by Catherine de Medicis,
who introduced 1t into France.
Great sums were spent in ornamenting
ians, and many were painted on By the
skillful fingers of Vatican.
In the palmv days of ;hs French court,
when Louis XIV. and Marie Antoinette
lived, there was proiiigate extrava-
gance i'm fans. which was extremely
profitable To the manufacturers of them.
Queen Elizabeth, of England when in
full dress. carried a fan. During the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, fans
were used by gentlemen. During the
present century n627), 1t was blow
given with fan by the Dey of Algiers
to the French consul. that led TO the war
which ended in makiBga French colony
Of that whole region.
The outdoor Ian was large enough to
screen the face from the sun. and in old
prints ladies are seen carrying their fans
in different positions, Just as fancy
pleased them.
In old times, the fan was used To ex-
pr ess, by peculiar movements, love,
disdain. anger and other emotions. GAY,
in enumerating the accomplishments of
Flavia, says:
+" In other hands, the tHn would prove
An engine oi small force in love-"
In the eighteenth century. the fan was
held up 10 shield the face when any
thing too shocking for female ears was
uttered. Pope makes an allusion 10 the
diseontinuance of the fashion:
" The modest fan was liftei up no more,
And virgins smiled ct what they hlushed be-
FORE"
During the same century at balls held
in London and elsewhere. gentlemen Sc
lected their partners by drawing ian
from n number placed promiscuously in
a hat. For that reason. the fans OF tho
ladies were carefully studied, as each
one possessed IN individuality.
A tourist in Spain, rs late as 1851,
wrote the following bout the use of
fans in church: ouah not under.
standing the services, could guess the
nature Of it at any particular time, by
the way in which the fans were waving.
The difference between q litany and
thanksgiving was unmistakable; the
minuter shades of devotion were also
discernible.o
In 1871, there was held. under the pat
ronage OF Queen Victoria, at the South
Kcnsington museum, competitive ex.
hibition of fans. Large numbers were
placed on exhibition from Egypt, Tur-
key. Mexico and the Islands of the Pa
cidc ocean. and included almost every
private and public collection of any
pote. TIE queen eceived the highest
premium (S0. .OOOl sor y fan which once
belonged 10 Marie Ant0inette.
The manufacture If fans Is exien-
sively carried on in England, France
and Belgium. Whole villages in Pc
cardy arc employed in the various
branches connected with the industry.
The Chinese have greatly excelled in
the art Of fan-making. and In the species
Of lacqucrei fans their superiority i all
mitied. Cheap fans arc manufactured
In Canton as low ns Two cents dozen.
Fans art also made. - = Iair extent, in
this country. The total value Of the fans