SPECIAL OCCASION FANS

Fans as Wedding Accessories

White Ostrich Feather Fan, 1879

From around 1880 to 1930 folding ostrich feather fans were stylish accessories, especially for formal and evening events. Caroline Swinnerton (born ca. 1859), carrying the newest fashion in fans, used this one at the wedding of her cousin, Lucy Thayer, to Joseph P. McGuire in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Caroline may have been a bridesmaid.

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White Satin and Lace Fan, 1870

Mary A. Thomas (1850-1933) of Chicago, Illinois used this fan at her wedding to Emory Levi Grant, a lumber dealer from Kenosha, Wisconsin.

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Painted White Satin Fan, 1891

By the end of the 19th century, white satin fans, sometimes painted with flowers, were reserved for brides. Mary Elizabeth McIntyre (1864-1931) of Koshkonong, Wisconsin used this white satin fan at her wedding to Andrew J. Warner, a farmer from Whitewater, Wisconsin, on March 25, 1891.

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Wedding Ensemble with Fan, 1857

These articles were used by Emma Hager (1829-1872) at her wedding to Samuel Marshall, cofounder of M&I Bank, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on May 6, 1857.

Emma matched the items featurd here for her wedding day. The ensemble includes the ivory and silk gauze fan, the tan and off-white striped silk wedding dress (Silk. Gift of Elizabeth Marshall. Wisconsin Historical Museum object # 1945.974) and silk net bonnet with wax orange blossoms (Wisconsin Historical Museum object # 1946.558).

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Wedding Ensemble with Fan, 1893

This ensemble was worn by Frances E. Merrill (b. 1860) of Merton Township, Waukesha County, Wisconsin, at her wedding to Albert Rudberg, a veterinary surgeon. The wedding probably was held in Chicago, Illinois.

Frances matched the items featured here for her wedding day. The ensemble includes the pink ostrich feather fan, the off-white, light blue, and pink striped wedding dress (Wisconsin Historical Museum object # 1945.930) and off-white silk shoes (Wisconsin Historical Museum object # 1946.701a-b).