The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-10-09
MONOGRAM FANS.
Newest Fad Which Has Captured Chicago
Young People.

Newest Fad Which Has Captured Chicago
Young People.
Have you got monogram FAM lfsnot,
GU are far and away behind the times.
Every girl, and almost every boy, must
have monogram fan nowadays, ana 1ne
fad is pretty one, too. monogram col
Letting is dainty whim, and to indulge
in 1t is easy.
Last year and the year before all the
pretty girls in town contracted q habit
o.. saving the monograms which adorned
the stationery of their friends. The
pretty gold and scarlet or blue and white
or pink and green letters which come au
the top of note paper. invitation cards
and the like were stuck in o SCRAP book.
They made such pretty showing there
that their owners began to look for ways
and means of artistioally exhibiting
them. About this time, too, the men
who manufacture such things took to
supplying the stores which patronized
them with little sample sheets upon
which their work was most beautifully
displayed. Now and then a monogram
collector, wishing to order something in
that line for herself, came to possess one
of these tempting bits of paper, and from
this the monogram fad gre W.
The sample monogram looked just az
pretty in the scrap books as those which
had been given or begged from their
owners, and some otherwise unattainable
ones were procured In this way. Many
girl who had coveted the monogram of
some swell or select club or organization
and coveted 1t in vain found herself the
happy possensor OF it by means of the
sample sheet. innocently given. From
this the fad spread, until at present it Is
that of the hour. The storsk eepers and
salespeople were very soon fairly besieged
for Monogram sheets-everybody begging
them, declaring that they wanted Ito
s'order die"-and hundreds of them
had bsen given away in response to such
req uests before they renlizsd what they
were losing. That which was worth beg
ging was worth buying, they argued,
and the sheets were I'm Medately placed
on sale. Later .prettier. and still more
delicate ones were brought out, and now
the MONOGRAM OF almost any known or
ganizafon, club or sooiety may be pur-
chased on these little sheets.
Each sheet contains from three to five
monograms, and In order to obtain the one
desired all the others must be purchased.
Those placed upon the same sheet are as
| widely diversified az possible, and herein
lies the double edge Of the commercial
| sword. II the taste OF a collector runs
toward certain line of monograms
those she desires are morally sure 60 be
on just as many sheets as there are mon
ograms. With sheets at 10 and 30 cents
apiece the total cost is far from small.
Two or three frisuds get around this
difficulty occasionally by oultivating a
taste for different types and sharing the
expenses.
The way Of using the monograms 10 as
follows: just az many as can possibly
be procured are obtained, and 4 Japaneae
folding fan, preferably Of dark color
and large In size, Is also made ready.
Then the monograms are cut out as care
fully as possible, and delioately pasted
| Of space is covered. Sometimes the worb
is divided off into panels, and the mono
grams which belong to ono department
placed all together, although often theJ
are stuck on hit or miss. Sometimes thi
autograph Idea is combined with th,
other. When this is dono a space is left
above every monogram for the signatur
and these Signatures are arranged IN
regular rows up ana down the fan
These fans are exceedingly popular with
those girls who mum Der guam titles d |
mice" young men among their acquaiI-
tances, and it Is also more than popular
with the college youth. BY adopting the
autograph idea he not only saves himself
all expense, but all trouble as we'll, Ein0
the giver of a monogram must herself OF
himself place it on the fan, and the fan
itself, when finished, forms q very attrae
tive addition to his wall decorations
Occasionally verses, sentiments or quota
tions are added to the simple signatursa
Once in while a fan Is covered entirely
with monograms relating to q single
sport, such as cy cling, football or tennis
together with the autographs of thek
votaries. There are countless variation
of the monogram idea.
| Some of the fans arc adorned with
borders of ribbon, pasted tightly on
sc me have pen and Ink sketches on the
| margin, some are made of silk, satin Of
gauze.
Souvenir fans are also popular. Th..
| favorite among q certain number Of
young people, the departing member d
| a club or the most popular girl in
given set, is selected for this honor, and
a souvenir fan. to which every mem er
of the coterie contributes monogram,
| is presented to her. These fans ars ID
variably autograph fans as we'll, and tht
monograms are as nice and pretty as can
bespurchased or procured. Every posi-.
BILE stlye and color may be purchased, 50
| that opportunities are as varied as car
be desired.
H