Bridesmaid's fan
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
late 19th century
This object is a miniature folding fan produced in the late 19th century, possibly in Great Britain, by an unknown maker. It features a pleated paper leaf mounted on 16 hand-painted wooden sticks, including the outer guards. The leaf is commercially lithographed in vibrant colours, presenting an 18th-century pastoral scene that depicts a shepherdess being courted by a suitor alongside rococo scrolls. Further embellishments include gilding and tiny applied metal spangles, while the reverse consists of tan paper flecked with gold leaf. A light blue silk ribbon is attached near the pivot.
When open, the miniature fan measures 21.5 cm in width. In its closed state, it has an overall length of 12 cm and a depth of 2 cm, with the guard sticks measuring 1 cm in width. It was manufactured as a mass-produced item sized for a child.
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 fan was preserved among a collection of Victorian wedding accessories belonging to the Nugée family, given to the museum by Edward Nugée QC. It is associated with the marriage of Elizabeth Wroughton Richards and the Reverend Andrew Nugée on 8 August 1854, but may also be linked to the 1887 wedding of their son Francis Edward Nugée to Edith Elizabeth Alston. It is understood to have been carried as a wedding favour by a bridesmaid.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Lithographed paper accented with gilding and spangles, hand-painted wood
- Dimensions
- Width (opened): 21.5 cm; Length (closed): 12 cm; Depth (closed): 2 cm; Width (guard sticks): 1 cm
Technical characteristics
- Maker recorded
- Unknown
- Place recorded
- Great Britain
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
- Bridesmaid's fan
- Museum object number
- T.14-2008
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.