Health & Fitness
The History of the Paper Fan
We've all seen paper fans – and you may be using them in this heat – but where did they come from?
By Minuteman Press of Hartford, Manchester, Glastonbury, and Vernon
We’ve all seen paper fans – and you may be using them in this heat – but where did they come from?
Archaeological ruins and ancient texts show that fans were used in ancient Greece at least since the 4th century BC. Christian Europe's earliest fan was the flabellum (or ceremonial fan), which dates to the 6th century. These were used during services to drive insects away from the consecrated bread and wine.
Their use died out in western Europe during the Middle Ages, but continued in the Eastern Orthodox and Ethiopian Churches. Hand fans were reintroduced to Europe in the 13th and 14th centuries, and fans from the Middle East were brought back by Crusaders. In the 15th century, Portuguese traders brought fans to Europe from China and Japan.
In the 17th century, the folding fan, introduced from East Asia, became popular in Europe. These fans are particularly well displayed in the portraits of the high-born women of the era. Queen Elizabeth the 1st of England can be seen to carry both folding fans decorated – with pom poms on their guardsticks – as well as the older style rigid fan, usually decorated with feathers and jewels. In the 17th century, the rigid fan, which was seen in portraits of the previous century, had fallen out of favor as folding fans gained dominance in Europe. Fans started to display well painted leaves, often with a religious or classical subject. The reverse side of these early fans also started to display elaborate flower designs.
In 1685, the Edict of Nantes was revoked in France. This caused large scale immigration from France to the surrounding Protestant countries (such as England) of many fan craftsman. This dispersion in skill is reflected in the growing quality of many fans from these non-French countries after this date.
In the 18th century, fans reached a high degree of artistry and were being made throughout Europe, often by specialized craftsmen, either in leaves or sticks. Folded fans of silk, or parchment, were decorated and painted by artists. Fans were also imported from China by the East India Companies at this time.
Around the middle 18th century, inventors started designing mechanical fans. Wind-up fans (similar to wind-up clocks) were popular in the 18th century.
And the rest is history!
Pretty cool – no pun intended – huh?
