Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-24
ALL ABOUT FANS.
An Interesting Account of the His
tory of "WOman's Scepter.''

toF? VI . SSSpsSh'
From the St. Louis Globe Democrat
The fan, 'womans scepter,' has, since
the sixteenth century, been a necessary
article of woman's dress, and it has played
its own little part in the intrigues of love
and politics, for once upon a time the touch
of a fan changed the destiny of nation.
Even the stately Addison deigned to write
about the fan in his Spectator" Said
George Augusta Sala: IF a thorn was the
first needle, no doubt palm leaf fan was
the first fan" Poor old Rameses Ill
whose troubles began about 1873 B. c., when
he ascelded the throne of the Pharaohs,
was wont to go about attended by princes
bearing great semi circular fans painted in
brilliant colors, if one may believe the evil
dence of the frescoes on the temple of
Thebes. The fans of the early Egyptians
and of China were carried as standards IN
war, and were made at dlf1erent tunes OF
feathers silk, and in the fifth century b. {.
the fashion of peacock feather fans was IN
troduced from Asia Minor
With the Introduction of Christianity the
fan became an emblem of chastity, and
was used to keep the flies from the chalice
being cOnsecrated by St. Ambrose for that
purpose. 1t was called the 'fiabellum.
and is still used in papal ceremonies In
the sixteenth century, however, it became
generally used. Queen Elizabeth, as one
would suppose had a quantity OF them
and fans were among the treasures of Cath
crime de Medicis.
Fans were not made much in France until
the days of Louis XIV, most of the trade
before being with Spain. The Louis XIV
fan contained from eighteen to twenty
blades and when open they formed a con-
tinuous surface of ivory or mother-of-pearl,
decorated with gold or silver. The mount,
that is the part above the sticks, made the
largest part of the surface of the fan.
The fan opens out TO a full half circle. The
"eVentail brise," also of this period, had no
mount, but was made up of sticks, which
were painted, carved or decorated with
spangles Nine. de Sevigne possessed
beautiful fan, which she described in one of
her letters. 1t of the style known as
'Vernis Martin" 1t represented the ''Toi-
let of Venus ard "a promenade" and the
Venus is a portrait of Nine. de Montespan.
Martin was d cCachmaker of the time of
Louis XIV, who discovered a remarkable
varnish. One of these owned by Marie An
toinette is now the property of Queen Vic
toria.
During the reign of Louis XIV the blades,
eighteen to twenty, were narrowed and put
further apart, and it no longer opened to a
half circle. The figures in the mounts were
much smaller and the painting or other
decoration not nearly so boldly done. The
'Cabrolet' belongs to this period, in which
the mount is in two parts, the lower and
narrower mount being half way up the
stick, and the second in the usual place.
The Louis XVI fan opened. forming
half circle like the Louis XIV. but differed
from it in the sticks, which did not over
and were usuaiIv fever in nnmhar fnn,
sixtaen 70 eigbtsS Wattaa, did 10, ~,
sider i, hanaatb bis dignit 10 dooor,ta
fan nd 80, -, vs. iset ~ e''e
Dnr;na tho rs,,ointidmar, 49, rj mn u
boo an is III "a ,sfs5P e 5 tiie ian
be 80 .nfd 49, - -, Vu @ re, ~
mas 80 s"iu NO NJ iiidh was ever khoWh
,.I ~ Tt,.t ~" ",s eisar III ms
moulin, Dut Cndl lp'te toludy is asserted 10
have killed Marat without letting go her
fan.
me Iarlslan ianiilaher Is the designer or
the 1ashions OF the present day, and Duvel-
teioy, III Ehsl 10 not ohly designer,
put mas a rare CORRECTION OF OLD fans The
lace IAN Is among the linest OF the DuVel-