In 17^th and 18^th century Europe, folding fans were important, socially-coded fashion accessories. In the course of the 18^th century, painted and printed fan leaves displayed an increasing variety of visual motifs and artistic subject matter, while many of them also addressed contemporary political and social topics.

This book studies the visual and material diversity of fans from an interdisciplinary perspective. The individual essays analyze fans in the context of the fine and applied arts, discussing the role of fans in cultures of communication and examining them as souvenir objects and vehicles for political and social messages.