Fan history and art in publications and research

Abstract

The article was written in the wake of the exhibition «The Wing of the Wind Open in Time: Publications from the Collections of the Russian Academy of Sciences Library, its Department at the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera), items from the personal collections of the staff» (April — May 2023), prepared with the direct participation of the author. The main exhibits of this event were publications from the Library — exhibition catalogs, illustrated 19th–20th centuries editions on the history of painting and costume, ethnographic literature. Fans and objects of arts and crafts from the organizers personal collections were designed to enhance the information content and entertainment of the exposition. The author is not limited himself to a review of the publications presented at the exhibition, but develops the theme of fan studying on the basis of domestic and foreign 19th–20th centuries publications. The first paragraph of the article details publications containing photographs and descriptions of fans — catalogs of expositions and exhibitions, as well as scientific publications. A review of these publications, originating at the end of the 19th century, allows to trace the change in attitude towards fans: household items, fashionable costume accessories and interior items, works of arts and crafts and painting. The second paragraph outlines a range of pictorial sources, primarily picturesque. As an example, a number of portraits and book illustrations of the 16th–19th centuries are mentioned. In the third section of the article, in connection with the descriptions of the main forms of fans, items from the author's collection are described. The article is illustrated with photographs of exhibition fragments, fans, dolls and postcards from the author's collection.