Nov 6

The Language Of The Hand Fan

We're all familiar with hand fans (and if you're here, you surely know Stefania Gour's hand fans), the most fashionable item in our wardrobe. But did you know that fans have a secret language?

A Young Woman with a Fan early 1750s Pietro Antonio Rotari (Italian, 1707 - 1762)

History and Origin

Folding fans, originating in Japan and brought to Europe by the Portuguese in the 16th century, quickly became a popular and fashionable item among the European upper class. They served both a functional purpose—cooling down in the heat—and as a status symbol. Fans became a favorite accessory in European royal courts, from Spain, France, and England to Italy. Women of the upper class, like Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici, were often depicted in portraits holding fans. As a result, any woman who could afford it carried a fan.

While the "base" of the fan was imported from the East, the folding "leaf" was created in Europe, thanks to the growing demand for fans. Fan bases were made from imported materials like tortoiseshell, wood, and ivory, while the leaves were hand-painted in Europe with themes relevant to the time, such as mythology, literature, and botanical subjects.

Given the value and social significance of fans as a women's accessory, a language of fans developed—a language without words, using gestures with fans to convey messages, emotions, feelings, flirtation, and social status. This language evolved throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, primarily in England and France. It emerged from a culture that placed great importance on fans, manners, etiquette, and the codes of royal courts.

The Language Of The Hand Fan

This language was used for communication at a time when women were expected to maintain social restraint. Women and men, especially those of the upper class, used this language to discreetly flirt and convey messages at social events like balls or formal gatherings, where casual conversation or one-on-one interactions between men and women were considered inappropriate.

The language evolved from a combination of words painted on the fans. For example, the word "ROMA" could be reversed to form "AMOR" (love in French), sending a clear message to a woman's beloved. Each letter of the alphabet had a series of associated gestures, involving opening, closing, raising, lowering, and waving the fan near the face and body. This language was passed down orally, but women who purchased expensive fans from Duveleroy (a famous French fan brand) received a brief explanation of the language along with their purchase.

In the early 18th century, newspapers began publishing articles documenting this secret women's language, reflecting men's growing interest in a language they found difficult to decipher.

With the rise of the middle class following the Industrial Revolution, fans became popular among the growing middle class, and fan production became more industrialized, with printed and mass-produced leaves. As a result, the middle class also adopted the "language of fans."

In the 19th century, particularly during the Victorian era, fans became an integral part of women's attire. This accessory became a subject of writing for authors like Oscar Wilde, who wrote the play "Lady Windermere's Fan," and was depicted in portraits. During this period, etiquette books codified the various gestures, making the language accessible to all social classes.

Gestures And Meanings

We in Stefania Gour made you a small guide to the hand fan language. We are welcoming you to start using it!