The well-dressed Regency lady wouldn’t dream of attending a formal evening affair without her fan in hand. The vintage equivalent of text-messaging, men and women were well-versed in the language of fans.
Hand fansoriginated in the Far East, some say Egypt, though the folding fans we are familiar with today, are thought to be specific to Japan and were introduced to Europe in the 1500s.
I chuckled aloud at the lessons some ladies underwent in order to learn the proper way to unfurl or discharge their fans. Makes me think of sails on ships and firing guns.
Regency era fans tended to be less ornate than previous generations, reflecting the simpler styles of gowns. There were different styles and sizes of fans too. The most common and popular fan was the folding fan, typically pleated and painted.
The brisé fan, which consisted of decorative sticks (often intricately carved) without pleated leaf, was the next most popular type of fan. It, too, originated in the Orient. The cockade fan, made of paper and having two sticks, opened into a full circle. Only the folding and brisé fan were used for evening events.
Smaller fans, called opera fans, were petite enough to fit inside a reticule, though they often hung from a lady’s wrist. This type of fan was preferred during the Regency Era when the pockets of previous generations that easily accommodated larger fans no longer were in style.
I have a couple of gorgeous fans I picked up in Spain several years ago. I can’t imagine using those lovely treasures to send covert messages to my sweetheart across the room. I might put my eye out in the process.
All images are courtesy of Wikimedia commons
Resources:
http://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/tag/language-of-the-fan/
http://candicehern.com/regencyworld/brise-fans/
http://www.susannedietze.com/dressing-the-regency-lady.html
