[Picture Credit: http://www.handfanmuseum.com/exhibits-betty-minaker.html]

A Must for a Lady

In the early Victorian era, fans measured only about eight inches in length. As the Victorian era lengthened, so did the fan. By the late 1800s, fans measured as long as 20 inches. The Edwardians kept this length until the beginning of World War I. As lady’s hemlines grew shorter, so did the fan. By the Age of the Flapper, fans were almost as short as a lady’s hand, but still provided a much needed compartment for lipstick and the newest fashionable accessory, the cigarette.

Because the coquette was often depicted using a fan, sometime between 1711 and 1740 the “language of the fan,” was born. This new fad allowed women to convey secret messages to their suitors across a crowded drawing room. See the sidebar for more details about these hand signals and their meaning.

This “language” was quite complicated and cumbersome. Motions of the fan translated into letters of the alphabet. The alphabet was split into five sections. These sections then corresponded to one of five movements:

1. Moving the fan with the left hand to the left arm;

2. Moving the fan with the right hand to the left arm;

3. Placing the fan against the bosom;

4. Raising the fan to the mouth; and

5. Raising the fan to the forehead.

To signal a letter, two movements were required. The first corresponded to one of the five alphabetical groups and the second told the letter’s position within that group. Thus, to signal the letter “D,” movement number 1 above (indicating the first section of the alphabet) would then be followed by movement 4, for the fourth letter in that section of the alphabet.

Obviously, communication via the fan was neither quick nor easy. A famous Parisian fan maker, Pierre Duvelleroy self-published his version of the fan language, presumably to assist his clients by eliminating any uncertainty to a lady’s meaning, as ignorance could result in embarrassing situations.

Fan collecting has become a popular pastime with national and international groups all over the globe. Many museums in large cities have fan collections, such as the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco and the Victorian and Albert Museum in London. For more information about fans and fan collecting, view the Fan Association of North America (FANA) website, fanassociation.org.

Read the entire Citizen's Companion Magazine article at http://www.citizenscompanion.com/?p=849

Widows by the Thousands

Many of you joined the staff at Historic Washington State Park for a special evening in celebration of Valentine's day. Special guests attending were treated to their choice of beef or chicken dinner and some scrumptious desserts! The meal was accompanied by music on the violin and a song with an endearing theme. A special program featured Holly Ballard and Chris Adams providing a dramatic reading of actual letters that passed between a husband and wife during the tumultuous years of the Civil War. Those letters were among the ones found in the book "Widows by the Thousands" which was offered at the park gift shop. The program highlighted the blessing of having loved ones close. Thank you all for joining us!