The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-02-10
ART OF FAN MAKING
How the Most Costly Articles are
Produced.
SOME FAMOUS FAN PAINTERS.
Folding, the Most Difficult Branch, Yet
he Learned in America-What an
Painters Get-A Fan That Cost $6,0Co
Others Costing Large sums.
Nobody in America has quite mastered

Nobody in America has quito mastered
tho art of folding fans. That difficult art
has been developed best In the fine French
fans that are for sale at prices ranging
from $50 TO $500 apiece. In folded fan
the edges OF all the sticks should be
parallel and oven, the shoulders should be
OF equal height. and the silken bod,
should be snugly and evenly disposed
within the enclosing sides. French ian
maker, unique among his fellows, having
mastered the whole art OF fan making,
came 10 this country not many years ago
and as employed by a famous firm TO
make fans. He took charge OF a factory and
was told TO go ahead. He was supplied
with skilled workmen and not un-
comfortably limited as TO expenditure
For few years the factory turned out
excellent fans. Even the folding was well
done. Then the head workman died and
II was feared that with him had almost
perished the art OF fan folding In this
country, but he left his secret behind him.
1t was very simple secret, the tools be-
ing primitive enough and the process ap-
parently not difficult, but as the whole
art lies in the delicate manipulation that
comes OF long practice. his place has
he impaired his secret.
Fan painting OF the finer kind is almost
as little practiced in this country as fan
folding. The same firm tnat employed
the French workman sought high and low
In New York for fan painter until a
young woman with undoubted artistic
genius vas found. She had just sold
painting for large sum, and she was
asked TO raint three fans. No limitations
in regard TO subject, time, or price were
fixed. In the course OF time the work was
done, but IL never saw the light. Her
genius was not FOR fan painting.
Most OF the finer fans sold here are
made In Paris and in three or four surSXr
ban villages near by. No fan maker
knows the whole art All the workers in
one village make sticks; those In another
fold; those in q third supply the bows
that hold the sticks together. The max
ing Of the upper sticks is trade by it.
self. After all the parts have been made
they arc sent to the great factories In
Paris to be put together A fan maker
begins his apprenticeship in childhood.
The tools are few and simple. Most OF
the carving aud fligree work Is made
with chisel or scroll saw. The pattern,
traced on paper. is pasted on the piece Of
fan stick is to be made. and the flligree is
rapidly cut with saw. Tortoise shell
sticks are made by special workers In
shells. That is difficult, delicate, ard
well-paid art. A few sklllfu shell work.
ers are in New York, and they are among
the best paid artisans.
The costly part OF fine fans Is the paint
ing. No wonder the American young
woman failed in her untutored attempt
at the delicate art. Only q few very
clever artists, In Paris have attained rep
utatioI as fan painters, and many great
master in oils would not dare risk his
name In such work. Detaille has painted
q few fans with his Characteristic military
figures, and one Of the fans was sold In
New York for great sum. But Detaille
seldom essays such work. lie Loire
painted fan that was sold In New York
for $4,000. Madeleine Lemaire occasion
ally paints fan, but it Is seldom used
except for wall decoration. Her prices
for such work are from SO 900 to s5 900.
There Is host OF comparatively un-
known artists, whose work, excellent In
it's way is seen on fans that cost from $40
to $3.50. Some of them sign assumed names
to their work. and all are the hacks OF the
Partisan trade. Tho really famous fan
painters OF Europe are Albert. Chesse-
Were, Houghton, Eugene Ciceri and Las
sallez. Albert Is painter OF miniatures,
and his training shows in his work on
fans. His figures have a remarka BILE
beauty OF finish. Cheneviere Is strong In
costumes. He delights In depicting gay
groups OF Parsians. Houghton's work Is
noticeable for delicate finish. Cicerl Is
almost alone in painting Alpine scenes.
n. ha vvh haln fao ~ 70 xx.tt
a great Alpine landscape. and one easily
recognizable by those familiar with the
Alps. Lassalez Is peculiarly rich In col
oring. Fans painted by these artists arc
sold for $l25 to $500 each.
The cheapest fans are painted by whole
sale. long strip OF silk, or other
material. is tackled TO baard, many fans
are outlined upon II, and then half dozen
painters paint the same subject on each
ran, each painter laying particular color
on the whole set. Such fans cost only
few francs each. They serve to aid the
hrtations OF pretty French shop girls or
TO tickle the peasant fancy In the prov
inces. Flower fans OF the more expensive
kind have found little or no sale here. and
are not imported much. Many OF the
cheaper fans, ranging as low as IS or Sc
each, arc ornamented with painted tlow-
ers, the work OF unknown artists.
Fan painting requires special knack
in the management OF color and compost
ton. The position OF sticks and creases
must be considered, and the material Of
the fan has an important bearing on the
style OF decoration. The artist must
know in advance how many sticks fan
Is TO contain. That, by tho way, is a
question that would puzzle most persons
to answer offhand-tho usual number OF
sticks TO fan. There are more fans with
seventeen sticks than with any other
number, but the rule is not general. As
10 material. there is q choice OF silk. lace,
kid, gauze, aud few other fabrics. When
a smooth surface Is required for painting.
paper is pasted on the face OF the fan bo-
fore the decoration Is laid on.
The rage for costly fans is a thing OF
comparatively recent growth In this coun-
try. Twenty-Five years ago IL would have
been impossible TO sell such fans as now
lind ready sale. The rage for collecting
fans Is OF still more recent origin. but al
ready many thousands OF dollars are in
vested here in rich fans, modern and an
,su,,a TIa lattar aIfaatfxa by tho vrax