thecivilwarparlor: Fans And Flirting In 1800’s Society Among European and American women and
thecivilwarparlor: Fans And Flirting In 1800’s Society Among European and American women and men of courtship age, a fan had an understood secondary language of its own during this period—Passed down from generation to generation, the “secret” language included a variety of gestures women could make with their fans to convey their intentions to a man. For example, a woman could cover her left ear with an open fan to say “do not betray our secret,” touch a half-opened fan to her lips to stay “you may kiss me,” twirl the fan in her left hand to warn “we are being watched” or twirl the fan in her right hand to signify “I already love another.” In an era where overt gestures of a woman’s intentions were considered highly taboo, such subtle indicators were apparently considered passable in strict society, intended to go unnoticed by all but the ‘conversing’ party. She could flirt with her fan, as this behavior was within the protocol of accepted behavior. Here are what different signals meant: Fan fast—I am independentFan slow—I am engagedFan with right hand in front of face—Come onFan with left hand in front of face—Leave meFan open and shut—Kiss meFan open wide—LoveFan half open—FriendshipFan shut—HateFan swinging—Can I see you home? Photo: The Jenny Lind fan, named for the famous Swedish singer introduced to America by P.T. Barnum, was very popular from the mid-1860s to the early 1870s. A brise style folding fan, the Jenny Lind consisted of broad petal shaped leaves often made of silk and sometimes tipped with tiny feathers. Source: http://www.kathleencoddington.com/TALKING_FANS.html Source: http://www.whalingmuseum.org/online_exhibits/fans/photos.html Source: http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/museum/artifacts/archives/003247.asp Source: Courting the Victorian Woman- By Michelle J. Hoppe -- source link