67. Masters and Consorts visit to the Fan Museum, Greenwich, 13 November 2023

The Master Fan Maker, Peter Dove, arranged a private visit for the Fan Makers to the Fan Museum in Greenwich, and kindly invited other Masters and Consorts.

The Museum occupies two charming and beautifully restored Grade II* Listed early Georgian period townhouses, within the World Heritage Site of Greenwich.  Open to the public since 1991, the award-winning tiny museum was founded by Hélène Alexander MBE FRSA and her late husband, Dickie, to house her extensive – and growing – collection of fans.  Hélène, at 90 (!), was there to greet us, along with the Master and our two guides, Ailsa and Mary.

Fans are as old as man, we were told.  Initially simply stiff leaves to form a breeze, fan shapes have also been used to winnow corn, and are still used in Ethiopia to separate coffee beans from the husks.  Early fans comprised a series of sticks to convey a message.  A fixed fan has a handle; a folding fan … well, folds.

Fans, like ladies’ dresses, were at the whim of fashion.  In the 18^th century, dresses and fans were voluminous and showy, and could even accommodate pockets; with simpler dresses in the early 19^th century (think Empire line), fans became smaller, often to fit into a reticule, necessary as pockets would have ruined the line of the dress.

Some fans were extremely delicate: a fan of ivory appeared to be like lace.  Some had sticks made from different types of wood, bone, horn, tortoiseshell or mother-of-pearl, with the “fabric” ranging from vellum to paper and lace.

The museum contains over 5000 artefacts, and can only show about 80 at any one time.  Displays change frequently to provide variety: we were privy to “Boxed in, fanned out: fans and their boxes” in the upstairs exhibition area.  Cases for fans came in various shapes and sizes, made perhaps of papier maché or tooled leather.  Some fans were enormous constructions of ostrich feathers, others more subtle with an artistic scene.

One case housed a fan which had belonged to the Empress Eugenie; another depicted a giraffe, at the height of giraffe fever.  Muhammad Ali, the Ottoman Viceroy of Egypt, bestowed two “diplomatic” giraffes in a bid to gain support for his efforts to suppress the Greek uprising against Ottoman rule, which he sent to Charles X of France, and George IV.  Such animals had never been seen before in Europe.  The English giraffe was housed in Windsor, with other members of the King’s menagerie.  The French one was shipped to Marseille and was walked to Paris, attracting great crowds as it travelled to its new home in the Tuilerie Gardens.

This fan also doubled up as a dance card – the little pin on the left is actually a tiny stylus, for writing on the reverse side of the fan.

There were also some modern fans, some specially created for the museum.  These were definitely works of art, of no practical use.

After a fascinating tour we were treated to a delightful afternoon tea in the orangery café.  As with the rest of the house, the elegant décor was in keeping with its Georgian origins.

This was a fascinating afternoon, many thanks to the Master Fanmaker and the Clerk, and to the Museum staff.