Welcome to The Hand Fan Museum
current exhibit
Colorful Glittering lithograph fans
December 1- january 31 | Exhibit Hours: Saturday & Sunday, 12-5pm | Admission Free
Delightful Display of Early Victorian Fans
For the winter holiday season, the Hand Fan Museum presents a vibrant and glittering collection of Lithograph fans.* In the mid-1800s, new manufacturing technologies transformed fan-making from artisanal handcraft to machine production. These fans reflect both the technological advances and the cultural tastes of early Victorian society. With mechanized printing, elaborate scenes could be produced at affordable prices, allowing more people to own fans—though this accessibility also contributed to a decline in overall craftsmanship.
Themes featured on these fans varied widely, including literature, opera, politics, history, and fashion.
The most dazzling examples were created for the Spanish market. Known as Isabelinos—named after Queen Isabella II—they formed a full half-circle and were richly embellished with mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell, ivory, and extensive gold gilding. Spanish tastes favored heavy, ornate sticks paired with smaller, more “restrained” leaves, but producing some true “extravaganzas”!
A Little Tribute to Jane Austen in remembrance of her birthday, December 16, 1775
Below is a little snippet from a past exhibit honoring her and the fans she might have experienced.
* Lithography is a printing process that uses stones and/or metal discs to print each color separately.
Visit The Hand Fan Museum In Healdsburg CA
Every society has used a hand fan of some sort. From palm fronds to feathers-from beautifully painted works of art to jewel encrusted, gold plated objects of incredible value. Fans were used in fashion, religion, battle and ceremony. Why there is even a language devoted exclusively to the hand fan! Fans tell the stories and histories of the cultures and individuals who used them. Art, culture, geography and history - all in the palm of your hand.
The purpose of the Hand Fan Museum is to provide educational and cultural enrichment to the public by utilizing the hand fan as a vehicle for teaching history, art and geography, via publications, lectures and the establishment of a museum where actual hand fans from around the world will be exhibited.The Hand Fan Museum brings cultural and artistic history from around the world to Northern California. The museum is a jewel box-small in size but not in purpose. It is the first museum in the United States dedicated solely to hand fans and displays a permanent collection, as well as a rotating exhibit, that tell, often in beguiling detail, the stories of the cultures and individuals who used them. This endeavor is intended to be both educational and fun - bringing enjoyment to participants of all ages.
