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Paintings and clothing inventories indicate that wedding favors fans, often made of feathers, were used as fashionable accessories by well-to-do European women in the 16th century. Folding fans weren't widely known in Europe until they were brought back in small quantities by travellers who had journeyed to Japan and China; this probably occurred sometime in the late 16th century. By the late 17th century, European manufacturers had mastered the folding fan.
Like the hand-painted silk fan pictured here, the earliest European folding fans were hand-painted paper or silk. Later fans featured a variety of printed images, ranging from pastoral scenes to fans printed with rules of popular card games, dance steps or historical facts. Given their association with Japan and China, imagery evocative of these cultures frequently appeared on fans. With its hand-painted motif of birds and bamboo-like foliage, the fan pictured here is clearly meant to suggest Japanese or Chinese scroll paintings. Almost certainly crafted in the west, this fan dates from the late 19th century, when a wave of interest in all things Japanese swept Europe and North America.
By the 1920s, folding fans were rarely used as fashionable accessories. Though extravagant feathered fans were a popular complement to slim 1920s evening dresses, fans rarely made an appearance during the day. Retailers and advertisers, however, frequently used inexpensive folding wholesale fans to promote their products. Throughout the 1920s, Parisian department stores were especially prolific in the production of advertising fans. Fans printed with advertisements were given away for free with a purchase or as a promotional event in itself.