Victorian Flirting Fan

This hand-painted flirting fan from the 1800s would have completed a fashionable European lady’s ensemble during the Victorian Era (1837-1901). At social events, a lady might flutter her fan in a specific pattern to flirt with the gentlemen in attendance, who would have learned its unique language. These fans had a small “flirting mirror” affixed at the top right corner, which allowed the lady to discreetly observe whether she was achieving her desired effect. The classical scenes painted on this fan depict young people enjoying leisure time. Made with intricately-carved bone sticks and gilded with gold, this fan likely belonged to a lady of significant social status.

Source:
https://mollybrown.org/the-language-of-flirtation/ https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/the-secret-language-of-fans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duvelleroy