Folding fan and box
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1880s
This folding fan and accompanying box were produced in England during the 1880s by Bellini Ltd., featuring painted work signed by Rosie Haughton. The leaf is crafted from embroidered and painted silk gauze and silk, while the sticks are made of carved, pierced, and painted tortoiseshell. The accompanying cardboard box is fabric-covered, lined with padded satin, and decorated with stamped paper.
The fan's dark leaf is richly decorated with metallic embroidery and painted vignettes. A large central panel depicts two young women flirting with a man, all attired in early 19th-century dress; one of the women gestures with a closed fan. Flanking the central scene are two oval portrait vignettes framed with metal embroidery designed to imitate portrait miniatures. The central composition bears the signature 'Rosie Haughton.'
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 painted imagery follows a late 19th-century vogue for sentimentalised references to the past. The scene of romantic interchange alludes to the historic social role of fans. In the 19th century, fan painting was regarded as an appropriate pastime for genteel women, though it remains unknown whether artist Rosie Haughton operated in an amateur or professional capacity.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Embroidered and painted silk gauze and silk, with sticks of carved, pierced and painted tortoiseshell, and fabric covered cardboard lined with padded satin and stamped paper
Technical characteristics
- Maker recorded
- Bellini Ltd.
- Place recorded
- England
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
- Fan and box
- Museum object number
- T.57&A-1981
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.