Woman's black lace fan owned by members of the Ellis family

Unidentified · late 19th-early 20th century

A black lace and sequin fan with eighteen (18) black flat wooden ribs with a flat verso and carved or pressed designs on the front attached by black mesh leaves in an accordion fold between two decoratively carved guards that are flat on the verso and rounded on the front. The guards and ribs are held together at the handle with a steel pin and rivet. The rivet also holds a curved black painted brass loop. The open fan shows two black mesh leaves that are adorned with silver sequins that have been attached from the verso with stitches of brown thread. The leaves are backed with a layer of black mesh. Both layers are stitched together with a continuous lace border at the outermost edge. They are slipped over the ribs and adhered with a spot of adhesive. There are lace borders on the lower edge of the top leaves, and both top and bottom borders of the lower leaves with openings where the ribs pass through. A three leaf arrangement of lace pieces are stitched to the front mesh appearing to hang off the outermost lace border.