Lace folding fans

 

Folding fans developed in China and Japan and were introduced to Europe in the late 16th century, where they became high status fashion items. The basic folding fan is made up of a series of sticks with two larger outer sticks known as guards. They can be made of many materials  including ivory, wood, or metal and are all held together at the base with a rivet. The material attached to the upper part of the sticks is called the leaf and it can be made from a variety of materials including paper, silk or lace. When the fan is held open, the leaf is a wide flat area which lends itself well to a pictorial design. Many leaves were painted with beautiful images while others were designed to be ephemeral and were printed with political massages or advertising slogans, however, the lace designs we are looking at were expensive fashion accessories. The fan at the top of the blog was displayed in the recent Marie Antoinette exhibition at the V&A and features an Alençon lace leaf and gilded ivory sticks; it was made between 1750 and 1800. Alençon was one of the most prestigious types of needlelace and was mainly bought by the nobility. Mrs Palliser in her famous History of lace notes that a Russian princess paid the equivalent of £6000 for a set of flounce, lappets, trimmings, handkerchief, fan and parasol cover all made in Alençon lace (however, as a lacemaker who appreciates the work involved I think the princess got a bargain!).

Fan leaves are designed to be folded quite tightly so are only suitable for fine types of lace. Point de gaze lace was another expensive lace that was used for fan leaves. This example was made in Belgium in the 1860s and shows the intricate details in the lace, worked round the central image of the coat of arms.

This black silk bobbin lace was probably made in Bayeux in France in the 1870s. Again it is a fine lace that can be easily folded. Although lace on clothing was not very fashionable at this time, lace fans were popular and at the Paris exhibition of 1878, more lace fans were exhibited than any other type of fan.

By the 1880s the Irish lace industry was flourishing and this beautiful Carrickmacross lace fan with mother-of-pearl sticks  was made between 1870 and 1890. This is an applique lace where small pieces of fabric are applied to a net base and other filling stitches and embellishments added with needlelace.

Machine made lace was also used to produce fan leaves and this example from the 1890s shows the type of lovely design that could be made on the Levers lace machine.

This beautiful lace fan leaf was also made in Ireland. It was designed by Sister Mary Regis and made at the Presentation Convent at Youghal. It was shown at the Chicago exhibition of 1893 with another fan design by Sister Mary Regis. This exhibition was a show case for the very best examples of arts and crafts from around the world and was a fitting place to display this beautifully designed and exquisitely made needlelace fan. In the 19th century most lace fans were used as accessories for evening wear and this fashion continued until about 1914. As this small selection shows, floral designs were popular throughout the decades and their flowing lines were beautifully captured in lace.