Fan

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Victorians were adept at making copies of 18th century fans which are sometimes difficult to differentiate from the originals. One of several clues is in the treatment of the hair, which in the origial fans is a powdered gray rather than natural or whiter hues, as illustrated here.

The Costume Institute

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Costume Institute's collection of more than thirty-three thousand objects represents seven centuries of fashionable dress and accessories for men, women, and children, from the fifteenth century to the present.

Metropolitan Museum of Art