Paper fan
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1932
This object is a piece of theatrical publicity material made in the form of a folding paper fan. Created in 1932, it was printed in London by Wilson & Sons. It is constructed from thin card that has been folded in half, cut into an elongated octagonal shape, and fitted with folded blue sugar paper in the centre, assembled using glue and wire.
The exterior card panel measures 13.2 cm in height by 8.3 cm in width, while the interior fan component measures 9.4 cm high by 1.5 cm wide. When opened, it reveals the inner paper fan. The exterior faces are printed with ink to advertise two separate theatrical events: on one side, a production of Evensong by Edward Knoblock and Beverley Nichols at the Queens Theatre in London, and on the other side, the 1932 Malvern Festival.
The side advertising the Malvern Festival is titled 'Four Hundred Years of English Drama' and lists festival dates alongside repertory plays including The Play of the Wether, Ralph Roister Doister, The Alchemist, Oronooko, Tom Thumb the Great, London Assurance, and George Bernard Shaw's Too True to be Good.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
The production of Evensong advertised on the fan was adapted from a book by Beverley Nichols, focusing on the final role of a famous singer. It was staged with Dame Edith Evans in the lead role of Irela, alongside Violet Vanbrugh, Wilfrid Lawson, Frederick Leister, Joan Harben, and Harry Wilcoxon. The Malvern Festival was presented by Barry Jackson, who organised an annual summer festival there from 1929 to 1937. The 1932 festival featured the British premiere of George Bernard Shaw's play Too True to be Good.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Printed ink on card, with folded sugar paper forming a fan
- Dimensions
- Height (exterior panel): 13.2 cm; Width (exterior panel): 8.3 cm; Height (fan): 9.4 cm; Width (fan): 1.5 cm
Technical characteristics
- Maker recorded
- Wilson & Sons
- Place recorded
- London
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- Paper fan
- Museum object number
- S.2055-2014
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.