Fan, Jamaica, 1900-1919
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1900-1919
Fan, Jamaica, 1900-1919 is an object recorded by Victoria and Albert Museum, dated 1900-1919. The museum's brief description reads: Rigid fan formed from lace-bark with a bamboo handle and decorated with preserved plants within a wooden frame, Jamaica, 1900-1919.
Museum description: Rigid fan formed from lace-bark contained within a wooden frame and decorated with preserved ferns and plants. The edge of the fan has been trimmed with the seed hairs of French cotton (Calotropis procera) and the handle is formed from bamboo. The back specifies that the fan was originally "sold for the benefit of the Orphanage for Girls, in Kingston, Jamaica." The museum record gives material recorded as bamboo, cotton (fiber); measurements Height 330 mm; Width 200 mm; Depth 15 mm; place associated: Jamaica.
These details come from the holding museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
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
Lace-bark fan decorated with preserved ferns and plants and edged with the seed hairs of French cotton (Calotropis procera). The fan is likely to have been imported from Jamaica where lace-bark souvenirs became particularly popular in the 1880s. Lace-bark is a form of bark cloth obtained from lace-bark tree (Lagette Lagetto Sw. Nash), which grows in Jamaica, Cuba and Hispanola. The inner bark is fairly robust, but can be teased out to create a natural lace suitable for use in clothing and accessories, such as this fan.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- bamboo, cotton (fiber)
- Dimensions
- Height 330 mm; Width 200 mm; Depth 15 mm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- lace-bark, wood, seed hairs of French cotton and bamboo
- Place recorded
- Jamaica
Identification
- Museum object name
- Fan
- Museum object number
- T.661-1996
- Museum system number
- O332023
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm materials, dimensions, maker and wider type against the holding institution and a specialist reference.