1920s Celluloid Brise Fan in Blonde Tortoiseshell Colour(Sold)

This is a sweet little brise fan made of the early plastic celluloid.  It has been made to imitate tortoiseshell or horn and has the amber colour associated with natural horn and tortoiseshell.  The material has a mottled effect and has been hand painted with silver swirls and swags.  The ribbon threaded through it still in good vintage order and is a matching colour.  There is a little loop on the pivot and a small celluloid button pivot end on one side but just the metal pivot holding the loop handle on the other. The guard ends and sticks are all approximately 5 inches in length and the fan opens out to 10 inches when fully open.  This would make a nice addition to a vintage costume accessory collection,  or would be of interest to those who love early bakelite era plastics or for fan collectors too! 

Fans are a fascinating collectable and an important antique and vintage accessory.  They have been used from very early times and by the most primitive peoples as cooling devices and for winnowing and activating fires.  They have had a role in ceremony and are often objects of great beauty and elegance.  There are some superb examples of fans in many of our museums and the role of the fan has evolved as a courtship device with a secret language and also as an advertising tool - particularly with the paper fans that were used for promoting champagne, night clubs and other things in the art deco 1930s period.  I recommend the Shire Publication 'Fans' by Helene Alexander ISBN 0-7478-0402-B for further reading.