The Secret Language of Fans

Paris, 19th century. Jean-Pierre Duvelleroy, a remarkable young man with a highly developed sense of aesthetics, culture, and society, identifies the need of women, especially those of the upper class, to express themselves in a society with rigid social codes that forbade women from speaking freely.

Duvelleroy decided to bring the fan to center stage. The functional accessory became an integral part of luxury women's accessories, and his fan boutique was opened near Place Vendôme, alongside luxury jewelers and fashion designers. It was the hub of haute couture for fashion accessories.

The fans were made from luxurious, unprecedented materials: fine silk, mother-of-pearl, ivory, miniature paintings, silver and gold embellishments, and more. Each fan was a unique piece of jewelry. Duvelleroy created fans for Empress Eugénie, the Duchess of Bourbon, and all the noblewomen and aristocrats of Europe.

The fan was a coveted accessory due to its beauty, but primarily because of its sign language: a secret code in which every movement revealed a secret, romantic message.

                                                                                                                 Fast opening = Excitement

Sharp closing = Refusal

Peering from behind the fan = Interest and curiosity

And many other signs, about which you can hear at the lecture at the Albertina Gallery.

Duvelleroy fans are coveted collector's items, and like antique jewelry, each one preserves the history and culture of an entire world.