Handheld Church Fan, 1970s
date: label: Date made
content: 1970
name: label: depicted
content: Kennedy, Robert F.
label: depicted
content: King, Jr., Martin Luther
label: depicted
content: Kennedy, John F.
notes: label: Description
content: This fan from Knoxville, Tennessee, is dated to the 1970s. It depicts an image of Martin Luther King Jr., John Kennedy, and Robert Kennedy on one side, titled "Freedom Fighters," and an advertisement for Reed’s Mortuary on the other. Handheld fans were often used in churches across America, particularly southern Protestant congregations. Church fans often included depictions of religious or famous figures of the past and present on the front, and information from local businesses on the back. They were at once devotional objects, connections between churches and social movements such and civil rights, and an effective advertising medium. The fans were usually made with paper, cardboard, wood, and ink.
place: label: place made
content: United States: Tennessee, Knoxville
topic: label: religion association
content: Protestantism, Revivalism
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Religion
label: See more items in
content: Religion
label: See more items in
content: Many Voices, One Nation
label: Exhibition
content: Many Voices, One Nation
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Eleanor Dickinson
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: CL.306787.33B
label: catalog number
content: 306787.33B
label: accession number
content: 306787
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Fan
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: paper, cardboard (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (handle material)
label: Physical Description
content: ink (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 12 1/8 in x 7 1/2 in x 1/8 in; 30.7975 cm x 19.05 cm x .3175 cm