, 1890-12-18
Exquisite and Expensive
Designs From Abroad.
FANS ALWAYS IN FASHION
The Most Elegant Are Manufao.
tured in Austria and
France.
New York SUM-

reference to them at very early
date and a bas relief of Sennacherlb
In the British museum represents
him attended by women carrying
fans. In Portugal they were used
in the fourteenth century, In En-.
gland, they were quite common
during the reign OF Richard H., and
they were popularized In France
through Catherine de Medici, who
was seldom seen without one.
Queen Elizabeth also was exceed
ingly partial to their use, and in one
of her most celebrated portraits
holds round feather fan In her
hand. 1t is recorded of her that
from twenty.fv to thirty fans Of
varying degrees of splendor were
always included in her wardrobe.
The Italians used fans early In the
seventeenth century. 1t was during
the eighteenth century that the
lavish ornamentation of fansrcached
its height, one often representing a
small fortune in the matter of Jew.
els, carving and painting. Folding
fans had their origin in Japan, ami
were imported from there to China.
To the present day the Chinese com-
pliment each other by an invitation
to inscrlbe the autograph or an ap.
propriate bon mot OH the fan, aud
in France, Italy and Spain this
article is commonly used as me-
dium for practicing IA code of signals
whereby private communication
can be exchanged in public.
In regard to quantity, Japan Is
ahead in manufacturing. AS an
instance OF the general use of their
products in this country 5,0OOOO0
fans were disposed of last year at
Nantines establishment alone. Tn.
doubtedly n very large proportion
are used for decorative purposes, but
during the spring and summer the
majority sold are for personal use.
Throughout the fall ana winter
months the demand for this grade
of fan slaclscns and French and
Niennese goods come to the fore.
France undoubtedly leads. In many
OF the villages whole families are en-
gagged making the sticks for fans,
Dieppe producing the majority OF
those made of carved ivory.
From the beginning OF the pres.
ent century the magniflcence Of
this accessory to the toilet has been
on the wane, and, except in special
cases, the productions of to-day are
of comparatively small value. How
ever, this years models are rich In
elaborate carving and hand paint.
ing, quite surpassing anything In
the market for some tame. Van
Garden, I.asselaz, Albert, Garindy,
ballard and other ian painters OF
note have furnished exquisite de.
signs, both In landscapes aud
figures, and the new devices in carv.
: ing are both numerous and exceed.
ingly beautiful.
Few handsome fans are made in
this country. The limited number
of factories the United States can
claiin-locatcd for tue most part in
Massachusetts-turn out class nj
goods made principally of prints
aud paper mounted OH stained
wooden sticks, the largest market
for which Ii the Southern States.
a tour of the leading fancy goods
houses disclosed the fact that In
each the stock of fans contains very
few of home muuufacture--in many
eases none at all. In regard to the
fash ions it was learned that the
more important changes include the
Increased use of ostrich feathers; or
an applique of wood, gold, or silver;
the insertion of lace In the form OF
insects, and the multiplication of
designs in hand painting, executed
on Kid, gauze, and crepe de chine.
Feather fans will be the moro
prominent this winter, since the llse
of ostrich feathers for dress trim.
mings is 30 general They can gen.
orally be had to match in color, and
where peculiar tint Is desired will
he made to order. That part of the
work can be done In this city, the
feathers afterwnrd being mounted
on AN imported frame. BY the way,
the round feather fan is no longer
fashionable.
Where applique is used II gener-
ally covers entirely the outer or
guard sticks of the fan, and Is al
tachcd to perhaps every fourth or
fifth stick at the point where the
gauze or other material begins, con-
tinuing on the outside of 1t to the
edge of the fan. Oftentimes this
applique Is beautifully fashioned,
generally i'm vine and floral patterns,
and tinted In the natural colors. a
favorite design represents moss
grown bran ches Of trees. The gold
and silver applique, beautifully tine,
IL used much in the same way, often
with added decoration on the lower
part of each stick.
An exquisite fan of white
gauze and thread Is adorned In the
center with painting, an exuct
copy of one exhibited in the French
salon last year. The painting on
auotheT-the work of Lasse!aZ-
represents the racecourse ut Long
champs, Chenneviere has furnished
striking pleasure boating scene,
and Albert II copy of n picture III
the Corcoran gallery ut Washing
ton. These are but u few OF the
rare paintings, Included among
which are antique picturing scenes
In the time of Louis XIV.
So beautiful indeed are many
of the designs painted on kid, that
quite number have deem imported
3 uumounted and in frames. Aitkeh
& Sons are exhibiting several such,
both in landscapes and figures. Ihey
are veritable works of urt. The
varieties in the finished fan ut this
house also includes the most eX-
r