Fans of Fans By Contributor Kathryn Hanna, President, Fan Association of North America
FANA fan vintage Japanese fan with custom FANA logo
Photo credit: FANA
Hand fans have been used from the earliest times for cooling. The evolution of the fan over the ages has seen it grow to embrace all forms of expression and used by most cultures. What may have been woven straw, fan-shaped pieces in the beginning developed into unique and symbolic artistic forms over the centuries. Early civilizations around the world used fans for ceremonial purposes, but the Japanese and Chinese have the longest history of fans for personal use. Fans have been used from the battlefield to the bedroom, by royalty and peasants, and have found a voice in politics, advertising, fashion, and frivolity.
Maker: Maison Duvelleroy, painted by Adolphe Thomasse,
Blenhaim Spaniel,
painted wood brisé fan.
Photo credit K. Hanna photo taken at the FIDM Museum’s FANtasy: The Mona Lee Nesseth Fan Collection exhibit in 2019
Materials used in fan making include iron, bronze, brass, woods of every description, paper, vellum, silk, cotton, lace, ivory, bone, fiber, mother of pearl, mica, feathers, sequins, tortoise shell, plastics, horn, leather, embroidery, gold, and silver. Each fan’s beauty is also enhanced by artistic colors, photographs, and print processes. The manufacture of fans called on craftsmen (both male and female), artists, carvers, lace makers, tradesmen, retailers, and specialists to bring an ordinary or elaborate fan to life.
Maker: Félix Alexandra, Paris, France, C. 1885, Point-de-gaze lace, carved mother-of-pearl, gold & diamonds
Alexandra fan 1885 made for Hearst family diamonds in monogram
Photo credit K. Hanna photo taken at the FIDM Museum’s FANtasy: The Mona Lee Nesseth Fan Collection exhibit in 2019
A fixed, rigid, or folding fan can be appreciated for its beauty and charm alone. It also speaks for its time, leaving us a document of history. Fans continue to be popular for use in advertising by an event sponsor or as an inexpensive give-away or souvenir. One of the first free fans I collected was obtained at the 1960 California State Fair. It advertised soy sauce. I had all my friends with me sign it as my souvenir to remember the fun day we had.
Maker: Maison Duvelleroy, Paris, ca. 1900-10
painted by Adolphe Thomasse.
Photo credit: Image courtesy of the ASU FIDM Museum, Los Angeles, CA. Gift of Mona Lee Nesseth, 2016.975.10A/B
Fans have become a cross-collectible for people with an interest in feminine accessories, period dress, artistic style, European history, advertising, dance, Japanese and Chinese items, cultural understanding, and social commentary. They are the whimsical mechanisms and fancy embellishments employed in the day-to-day life of times gone by, yet are still in wide use in many societies. Trends of fashion, world events, new experiences, past glories and foibles are all played out in miniature style with this one accessory, the fan.
Fan maker Sylvain Le Guen with Deco fan
Photo credit: Image courtesy of the ASU FIDM Museum, Los Angeles, CA. Commissioned gift of Mona Lee Nesseth, 2019.5.78A/B
FANA (Fan Association of North America), founded in 1983, is a nonprofit organization of domestic and international collectors of hand-held fans. Members enjoy the creativity of these cooling instruments and are interested in studying aspects of fan history, creative fan design, fan materials, production, preservation, the crossover influence of fans with fashion/costume, and its varied uses.
FANA has an active grant program and has made awards to museums, historical societies and individuals for fan-related research, publications, conservation, and exhibits. We are always seeking new requests from these institutions and organizations to further knowledge and broaden awareness of fans.
Carved ivory brisé fan, China for the Western market, ca 1830, Ivory & silk ribbon
Photo credit K. Hanna photo taken at the FIDM Museum’s FANtasy: The Mona Lee Nesseth Fan Collection exhibit in 2019
FANA hosts an annual meeting, the “Assemblage”, which is an opportunity for all fan collectors and enthusiasts to meet for lectures, fun, and sharing our collective fan knowledge. This summer, FANA members will gather in the Los Angeles area for the Fan Association of North America’s 40th annual meeting, The Art of Fans: California Style. It will be held from Wednesday, June 26th to Sunday, June 30th. The Westin Pasadena Hotel will serve as Assemblage headquarters.
This extraordinary gathering will offer a wide array of experiences and an amazing opportunity to learn about fan history, fan art, and fan-making. On Wednesday, attendees will have the opportunity to closely view fans in the USC Pacific Asia Museum collection, followed by a display of perfume-related fans and exquisite fans brought by FANA members. The day wraps up with a festive welcome reception and presentation, The Phoebe Hearst Fan Collection, by Victoria Kastner, author and former Hearst Castle historian.
Asymmetrical coque (rooster) Feather Fan ca 1920-25 marked Eisemann Private collection
The Thursday schedule includes a private viewing of fans in the Huntington Library, Art Museum & Botanical Gardens collection with curator Steve Tabor; lunch at the Rose Garden Tea Room; a ‘Contemporary Artist Fan’ display & sale; and a ‘Fans by Children’ display.
The focus on Friday shifts to the ASU FIDM Museum’s “Mona Lee Nesseth Fan Collection” with a guided tour led by Senior Curator, Kevin Jones. We are also fortunate to have several fan experts giving lectures, including renown couture fan maker Sylvain Le Guen discussing his process and current projects; fan expert Georgina Letourmy-Bordier from France presenting Behind-the-Scenes and Important Fans at Auction; and costume designer Maxwell Barr talking about “Fans in Art.” This will be a unique opportunity for attendees to ask questions about fans, fan making, and related topics.
Big flowers fontange shape fan
Private collection
Saturday events at the Westin Pasadena Hotel focus on popular traditional FANA events including a member fan sale, fan auction, gala reception, special fan-related performance, and banquet celebration. Any interested person may view the fan sale and fan auction but must be a member to make purchases. Memberships will be available at the door or can be purchased by registering for the Assemblage via single-day or multiple-day options. For those who would like to register online, please visit our website at https://fanassociation.org/assemblage-2024/
Other benefits of membership in the Fan Association of North America include newsletters during the year with educational information; informal notices listing a plethora of events, exhibits, auctions; and many learning exchanges between members. FANA also maintains a library of fan-related books available to members.
Check out the FANA website at https://fanassociation.org for more information and links to many resources. FANA welcomes all to explore this fascinating, ubiquitous object of art, history, culture, and cooling. If you are interested in joining, it’s easy to do via the FANA website at: https://fanassociation.org/membership/. For questions about fans or FANA, please email admin@fanassociation.org.
