Fan favourites: 5 decorative souvenir fans

Hand-held folding fans are a lightweight portable accessory. Although their practical function is to keep you cool, the decoration and materials used to make fans communicate much, much more.

Fans make ideal souvenirs, intended to be carried in a hand, pocket or handbag. They signal places, spaces and events to remember and a gift that doesn’t take up too much luggage space. Here are five themes from National Museums Scotland’s collection.

1. Commemorating events - the eruption of Mount Vesuvius

In the mid-18th century embarking on a ‘Grand Tour’ was a popular method of education and cultural tourism. A tour could take many forms, but for British ‘tourists’ a travel route usually included an alpine crossing into Italy and travel to Rome and Naples. Naples became increasingly popular after excavations in Pompeii in the 1760s. It was further popularised by the appointment of Sir William Hamilton as Envoy Extraordinary to the Kingdom of Naples in 1764.

In 1779 Mount Vesuvius erupted, having become active in the mid-1760s with previous spectacular eruptions in 1767 and 1774. Artists such as Jacob More (1740-1793) and Michael Wutky (1739-1822) witnessed the 1779 eruption and documented the event in their paintings. This commemorative fan may have been created with reference to similar first-hand images. It may have been bought as a souvenir by someone who witnessed the volcanic activity. In the foreground the location is made clear by inclusion of boats anchored in the Bay of Naples.

Other Grand Tour fans document more general experiences. We know from the accounts of Lady Grisel Baillie (1665-1746) that fans were bought in bulk as gifts. As she prepared to return from Naples in February 1733, Lady Baillie paid for a total of 44 fans at a combined cost of 15 ducats (around £480 today). And ‘To James of wages over his fans’ she paid just over 4 ducats (around £130 today).

2. Celebrity - the golden age of Flamenco

National Museums Scotland has several souvenir fans from Spain. Three of these fans were given to the collection from one private donor. The fans depict flamenco dancing and bullfighting scenes, two cultural traditions which are synonymous with Spain in Britain. The use of fans and shawls in flamenco is likely to have increased their popularity as souvenirs.

The period of 1850 to 1910 is considered a golden age of Flamenco. The early 20th century saw changes in Flamenco culture with the introduction of competitions. This was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and Second World War (1940-1945) with competitions resuming in 1956. 

The glittering embellishment on fans like A.1983.1327 would have reflected vibrantly when in movement. This fan features a poster with two famous matadors, Lagartijo (Rafael Molina Sánchez, 1841-1900) and Frascuelo (Salvador Sánchez Povedano, 1841-1898). 

The guards (outer sticks which protect the fan when closed) of A.1983.1328 feature the phrase ‘Recuerdo España’. This broadly translates as 'memories of Spain' or 'remembering Spain'. 

3. Sight seeing - the first mass market tourist destinations

The invention of synthetic celluloid plastics in the second half of the 19th century changed the manufacturing of fans. Plastic sticks and guards quickly replaced ivory, mother of pearl and tortoiseshell. Celluloid sheets were initially expensive to produce, but by the early 20th century they could be produced cheaply. They were made in sheets and stamped to create intricate-looking cut out designs on 'Brisé' fans. French for ‘broken’, these fans are made from overlapping fan sticks. These sticks were held together with a ribbon threaded through each blade tip and a rivet at the base. The threaded ribbons would have been hand finished, often by child labour.  

In the USA, alongside imports from Europe and East Asia, a domestic celluloid fan industry developed in Massachusetts. Fans were easily customisable as souvenirs to be sold to tourists as mementoes at major landmarks or tourist attractions. This example is from Niagara Falls, one of North America's first mass-market tourist destinations.

4. A sign of social status - the Criterion restaurant

The Criterion restaurant opened its doors in 1873. It was designed as a multi-storey complex in the heart of London’s Piccadilly. The impressive building accommodated several dining rooms and a ballroom, with a theatre in the basement. The restaurant was lavishly decorated and a regular favourite of ladies visiting London's West End to shop. It became a popular high society gathering place for afternoon tea and luncheons to dinner and dancing. The Criterion proved an instant hit as well as a highly profitable venture.  

This promotional fan from the Criterion restaurant was likely given to a patron. It is typical of the rise of the advertising fan which emerged in the late 19th century alongside an expansion of middleclass consumers. By the early 20th century, inexpensive advertising fans with wooden sticks and paper leaves served as portable promotional tools for a range of businesses, particularly hotels and restaurants.

5. Travel - the jet age

The British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) operated all long-haul British flights from the mid-1940s – mid-1970s. The company became synonymous with the glamourous jet age of the post-war era. This promotional folding fan features a world map highlighting BOAC flight routes. It incorporates the classic ‘Speedbird’ corporate logo designed in 1932 by artist Theyre Lee-Elliott.

Airlines commissioned leading designers of the day to enhance the in-flight experience. Design reinforced a strong brand identity, from cabin crew uniforms to branded tableware. Whilst customers couldn’t (or at least weren’t supposed to) take branded tableware home with them, promotional souvenirs were readily available. These included scarves, powder compacts, cigarette cases and lighters, playing cards, posters, and stationary. And, of course, folding fans were readily available. Such souvenirs were issued as part of complimentary welcome packs, available to purchase onboard from the ‘Speedbird gift shop’ or via promotional mail campaigns.