Nos interlocuteurs, dans le forum de ce site, dans les causeries que nous pouvons faire ou dans les simples discussions, sont souvent attirés par le fameux "langage de l'éventail". Nous remarquons que les amateurs sérieux semblent moins passionnés par le sujet. Il mérite cependant que l'on s'y attarde. Notre position est simple : si l'éventail a beaucoup à dire, tant par ce qui y est représenté que par l'usage social qui en est fait... il n'y a jamais eu de "langage de l'éventail". Sans doute d'espiègles jeunes femmes ont pu s'amuser d'un bout à l'autre d'un salon, par quelques mouvements convenus d'avance, à échanger quelques informations. A la fin du XVIIIème siècle, quelques éventails imprimés ont été utilisés pour des jeux de société. Mais pour le reste, le fameux langage de l'éventail est surtout l'invention au XIXème siècle, par un "marketing" avant la lettre, de marchands d'éventails, peut-être en Espagne mais assurément par Duvelleroy, notamment dans la boutique londonienne. Un excellent article a été donné par Janice Pence Ryan au FANA JOURNAL du printemps 2004 : nous y renvoyons le lecteur et donnons cependant ci-dessous quelques éléments pris de droite et de gauche, à l'usage des conférenciers pour classes enfantines et des mystificateurs.

Our visitors, on this site, attendants to some lectures we have given, or general public are often attracted by this famous “language of the fan ”. The serious amateur seem less impassioned by the subject. It deserves however tsome words on this site. Our position is simple: if the fan has to say much, by what is painted, carved, printed on it as well as by the way it is used in society... this “language of the fan ” did never exist. Undoubtedly mischievous young women could have had fun to exchange some information from one end to another of a salon, by some movements of their fans agreed upon in advance. At the end of the XVIIIth century, some printed fans were used for parlour games. But for the remainder, the famous language of the fan is mostly an invention of the XIXth century “marketing”, thanks to fanmakers (or rather fans sellers) perhaps in Spain but undoubtedly by Duvelleroy, in particular in the London shop. An excellent article was given by Janice Pence Ryan to FANA JOURNAL Spring 2004: Our reader may try to get this article. However, we give below some elements taken here and there. They will be useful to childish public lecturers and for mystifiers.

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Cette mystification a pour une bonne part commencé avec l'interprétation au premier degré d'un article publié par Addison dans The Spectator , et dont nous donnons ci-dessous une traduction de 1777. Dans un article récent nous avons une fois de plus trouvé une allusion à cette "académie de l'Eventail", évidemment aussi fictive que le prétendu code télégraphique qui aurait enlevé, on le comprend aisément, tout son charme et toute sa grâce au vrai langage de l'éventail ! Celui-ci à tant à dire par les sujets représentés, et tant à révéler -ou à celer- par l'élégance ou l'impétuosité de son maniement ! DISCOURS L. Lusus animo debent aliquando dari, Ad cogitandum melior ut redeat sibi.                                                                PhŒd. fab. 14. 1. 3. Il faut de temps en temps accorder quelque relâche à l’esprit, afin qu'il retourne avec plus de vigueur à ses méditations. UEL nom donner à la lettre suivante? Est-ce une satyre contre les coquettes, ou une représentation des qualités bizarres dont elles se piquent ? Quoiqu'il en soit, sans m'arrêter plus longtemps sur le nom, je vais la communiquer au public, qui verra bientôt l'intention de l'auteur , sans que j'y ajoute ni préface ni commentaire. Monsieur le Spectateur, Les femmes ne font pas moins de prouesses, avec leurs éventails, que les hommes avec leurs épées. C'est donc à dessein de mettre les dames en état de se servir en perfection de l'arme qu'elles portent, que je viens d'établir une académie pour y dresser les jeunes personnes dans l'exercice de l'éventail, suivant tous les airs & les mouvements les plus à la mode, & tels qu'on les pratique actuellement à la cour. Les dames qui portent les éventails sous mon commandement s'assemblent en corps deux fois par jour dans ma grande salle, où je leur apprends à  manier leurs armes & à faire l'exercice par ces commandements : Préparez vos éventails. Déferlez les éventails. Déchargez vos éventails. Mettez bas vos éventails. Reprenez vos éventails.  En observant attentivement ces commandements, qui sont fort simples, & qui ne peuvent pas fatiguer la mémoire, une femme d'un esprit médiocre & qui voudra s'appliquer avec quelque soin à cet exercice, pendant six mois, sera en état de donner à son éventail toutes les grâces dont cette petite machine à la mode peut être susceptible. Mais afin que mes lecteurs puissent se faire une idée juste de cet exercice, qu'il me soit permis de leur en expliquer toutes les parties. Lorsque mon régiment de femmes ou de filles est rangé en bataille, les armes à la main, aussitôt que je leur adresse le commandement de préparer leurs éventails, chacune secoue le sien contre moi, avec un sourire, puis  elle en donne un petit coup sur l'épaule de celle qui est à sa droite, de là elle en porte le bout sur ses lèvres qu'elle presse ;  après quoi, elle laisse négligemment tomber ses bras & se tient prête à recevoir le second commandement. Tout cela se fait avec l'éventail fermé, & s'apprend pour l'ordinaire dans la première semaine. Le second commandement est celui de déployer les éventails ; il comprend diverses petites agitations & vibrations. Ces ouvertures, qui se font par degrés & de propos délibéré, avec nombre de séparations volontaires, qui se font dans l'éventail même, & que peu de femmes apprennent, avant que de l'avoir pratiqué pendant un mois. Cette partie de l'exercice est plus agréable qu'aucune autre au spectateur, en ce qu'elle offre tout à coup un nombre infini de cupidons, de guirlandes, d'autels, d'oiseaux, de bêtes, d'arcs-en-ciel, & mille autres jolies figures qui se déploient à la vue, tandis que chaque amazone du régiment tient un tableau à sa main. Lorsque je commande de décharger les éventails, elles font un claquement général, qu'on  peut entendre de fort loin, quand le vent est favorable. C'est une des parties la plus difficile de tout l'exercice ;  mais j'ai plusieurs dames sous mes ordres, qui, à la première leçon , pouvaient à peine lâcher un coup d'éventail, capable d'être entendu d'un bout à l'autre de la chambre, & qui à présent savent décharger leur éventail de manière qu'il fait autant de bruit qu'un pistolet de poche. Afin même que les jeunes dames ne fassent point claquer leur éventail mal à propos, & dans des lieux où il n'est point de la bienséance, je leur apprends dans quelles occasions, & à quel sujet ce bruit peut être de saison. J'ai aussi un éventail de mon invention, avec lequel, au moyen d'un petit soufflet, qui est ajusté sous l'un des plus larges bâtons, une fille de seize ans peut faire autant de bruit, qu'une femme de cinquante avec un éventail ordinaire. Lorsque les éventails sont ainsi déchargés, le commandement ordinaire est : mettez bas vos éventails. Cette partie de l'exercice apprend à une dame à quitter son éventail avec grâce, lorsqu'elle s'en débarrasse pour prendre un jeu de cartes, rajuster une boucle, remettre une épingle qui glisse, ou s'occuper de quelqu'autre chose de la même importance. Comme il ne s'agit, dans cette occasion, que  de jeter un éventail avec un air aisé, sur une longue table placée pour cela dans la salle, cette partie de l'exercice s'apprend aussi parfaitement en deux jours, que si on y employait une année. Lorsque mon régiment  féminin se trouve ainsi désarmé, je les oblige ordinairement à faire quelques tours par la chambre, puis tout à coup je leur crie : reprenez vos éventails, & aussitôt comme des dames, qui regardent à leur montre, après une longue visite, elles courent avec précipitation à leurs armes, les prennent à la hâte, & chacune se remet à sa place du mieux qu'elle peut. Cette partie de l'exercice n'est point difficile, pour peu qu'une femme s'y applique. L'agitation de l'éventail est la dernière partie & le chef-d'œuvre de tout l'exercice ; mais malgré ses difficultés, une femme, qui emploie bien son temps, peut s'y rendre habile en trois mois. Je réserve ordinairement cette partie de l'exercice pour la canicule & les jours les plus chauds de l'été, parce que je n'ai pas plutôt prononcé le commandement, agitez vos éventails, que toute la salle se remplit à l'instant de zéphyrs, & de petits vents frais, qui sont fort agréables dans cette saison, & qui, dans un autre temps, pourraient être dangereux pour les dames d'une constitution délicate. Il y a une variété infinie de mouvements dont on peut faire usage dans l'agitation de l'éventail ; il y a le mouvement fâché, le mouvement modeste, le mouvement craintif, le mouvement confus, le mouvement enjoué, & le mouvement amoureux ; en un mot, « il n'y a presque pas une passion de l'âme qui ne produise, dans un éventail, un mouvement analogue ; en forte qu'à la seule inspection de l'éventail d'une femme disciplinée, je vous dirai fort bien si elle est de bonne humeur, si elle fait la mine, ou si elle rougit. J'ai vu quelquefois dans un éventail tant de courroux, qu'il eût été dangereux, pour l'amant qui l'avait irrité, de s'approcher de son tourbillon ; & dans d'autres moments, je l'ai vu exprimer une langueur si tendre, que j'étais charmé pour la dame, que son amant fût à une distance raisonnable. Il n'est pas nécessaire de dire qu'un éventail prend le caractère de la prude & de la coquette, selon la personne qui le porte. Pour conclure ma lettre, je vous dirai que, d'après plusieurs observations, j'ai  composé à l'usage de mes écolières , un petit traité que j'ai intitulé les Passions de l’Eventail, & que je vous communiquerai, si vous croyez qu'il puisse être de quelqu'utilité au public. Je ferai jeudi prochain une revue générale, à laquelle vous serez le bienvenu, si vous voulez l'honorer de votre présence. P. S. J'enseigne aussi aux jeunes gens l'art de faire la cour à un éventail. NB. J'ai chez moi nombre de petits éventails fort simples & destinés à cet usage, pour éviter la dépense.

PARLEZ VOUS " FAN?" (A GUIDE TO THE VICTORIAN BALLROOM site storyroot.com)

A note is warranted concerning the infamous "language of the fan." This so-called "language" was actually a promotional gimic created in the late 19th century by a Parisian fan-maker named Duvelleroy. With every fan sold, he gave out a sheet of paper containing the "language of the fan" which turned out to be an English version of a German version of a Spanish guide. He apparently added to the list as he saw fit, just for fun of it.

The truth is, a formal "language of the fan" simply didn't exist in the middle of the 19th century, and there is doubt as to whether Duvelleroy's list was ever actually used socially. But, having said there is no formal language, let it also be said the fan was definitely used for communication. Hiding one's face behind a fan and then peeking out over its edge cannot be construed as anything but a flirtation, putting a fan to one's cheek (and nearer to the lips), a subtle invitation, and snapping it shut during conversation should be a fairly obvious sign of irritation. These methods were ever in use by our fore-mothers, and I think our fore-fathers understood them well enough.

However, if you want to go and look up this "fan language" and try using it, by all means do (you will have fun, no doubt). But the fact remains, young ladies did very well for themselves long before Messieur Duvelleroy took up their cause.

Dès la première scène, Philo compare Antoine à un soufflet et à un éventail qui servent à attiser autant qu'à appaiser la lubricité d'une gitane ("[He] is become the bellows and the fan/To cool a gipsy's lust..." (ll. 9-10). Comme le soufflet, qui aspire l'air pour mieux l'expulser en direction du feu, le coeur pompe le sang pour le projeter dans les artères dans un mouvement de circulation perpétuelle. La pièce fonctionne selon ce double mouvement de systole et de dyastole, de flux et de reflux :
- ô vous, belles courtisanes couchées toutes nues dans vos cheveux sur des lits semés de roses, sous de larges rideaux pourpres,avec vos bracelets et vos colliers de grosses perles, votre éventail et vos miroirs où le couchant accroche dans l'ombre une flamboyante paillette!
Gauthier Maupin)

 
  Le langage de l'éventail

Abaisser l'éventail fermé vers le sol : je te méprise Agiter vers soi son éventail ouvert : Danse avec moi Agiter son éventail fermé devant son interlocuteur : Suis-moi Appuyer l'éventail (ouvert) contre sa joue droite : Oui Appuyer l'éventail (ouvert) contre sa joue gauche : Non Appuyer l'éventail sur ses lèvres : Embrasse-moi Bailler derrière son éventail : va-t-en, tu m'ennuies Cacher la bouche derrière son éventail ouvert : Je suis seule Cacher les yeux derrière son éventail ouvert : Je t'aime Dissimuler son oreille gauche sous son éventail fermé : ne dévoile pas notre secret Donner son éventail fermé à son interlocuteur : Tu me plais Effleurer son oeil droit de son éventail fermé : quand te verrais-je ? Eloigner ses cheveux de son front : Ne m'oubliez-pas ! Faire passer l'éventail dans la main droite : Faire tournoyer l'éventail dans la main gauche : J'en aime un autre Faire signe vers soi de l'éventail fermé : j'ai toujours envie d'être avec toi Faire courir les doigts sur le bord de l'éventail : je veux vous parler Fermer à moitié l'éventail à droite et à gauche : Je ne peux pas. Fermer l'éventail : Je veux vous parler. Fermer l'éventail avec force et rapidité : Je suis jalouse. Frapper l'éventail fermé contre la main gauche : Ecris- moi ! Frapper l'éventail contre la paume : Aimez- moi ! Frapper un objet avec l'éventail : je suis impatiente Jeter l'éventail de la main : je te hais Indiquer une place avec son éventail fermé : Rejoins..moi Laisser glisser l'éventail devant le front : on nous observe Laisser glisser l'éventail sur le front : tu as changé ! Laisser glisser l'éventail sur la joue: je t'aime ! Laisser glisser l'éventail devant les yeux : je suis désolée ? Laisser glisser l'éventail sous les yeux : puis-je te voir ? Laisser glisser l'éventail à travers la main : je vous hais Laisser pendre l'éventail : Nous continuerons à être amis Laisser tomber l'éventail : nous serons amis Laisser tomber l'éventail : Je vous appartiens Lever l'éventail vers l'épaule droite : je te haïs Menacer de l'éventail fermé : ne sois pas trop audacieux Ouvrir et fermer l'éventail : tu es cruel ! Ouvrir l'éventail lentement : attends moi! Ouvrir l'éventail lentement : attends moi! Ouvrir l'éventail de la main gauche : viens me parler! Passer l'éventail d'une main à l'autre : je vois que vous regardez une autre femme Placer l'éventail fermé dans la main gauche et le laisser pendre : j'ai promis la prochaine danse (ou je suis fancée ?) Placer l'éventail fermé dans la main droite et le laisser pendre : je suis promise Placer l'éventail fermé sur l'oreille droite : j'ai changé Placer l'éventail ouvert sur l'oreille droite : vous avez changé Placer l'éventail sur son coeur : Mon amour pour vous me brise le coeur Porter l'éventail à son coeur : je t'appartiens pour la vie Poser l'éventail sur les lèvres : Je ne vous crois pas Poser le "manche" de son éventail sur ses lèvres : Embrasse-moi Proposer un éventail : tu me plais beaucoup Proposer un éventail fermé : M'aimes-tu ? Regarder son éventail fermé : Je pense tout le temps à toi Refermer très lentement son éventail : j'accepte tout Remuer l'éventail de la main gauche : on nous observe. Remuer l'éventail de la main gauche : Ne faites pas la cour à cette femme. Remuer l'éventail de la main droite: j'en aime un autre Remuer l'éventail lentement : je suis mariée Remuer l'éventail lentement : Ne perdez pas votre temps, je ne me soucie pas de vous Remuer l'éventail rapidement : je suis fiancée Remuer l'éventail rapidement : je vous aime beaucoup Soulever l'éventail de sa main droite : m'est-tu fidèle ? Suspendre son éventail fermé à sa main droite : Adieu Tenir l'éventail de la main droite : vous êtes trop exigeant ! Tenir l'éventail de la main droite devant le visage : suivez-moi ! Tenir l'éventail de la main gauche : j'aimerais vous connaître! Tenir l'éventail de la main gauche devant le visage : j'aimerais vous connaître! Tenir l'éventail de la main gauche devant le visage : Laissez-moi Tenir avec les deux mains son éventail ouvert : Excuse-moi Tenir l'éventail sur l'oreille gauche : laisse moi tranquille ! Toucher avec le doigt le bord de l'éventail : je veux te parler The Language of The Fan In the past, hand fans were used not only as cooling instruments, but also as convenient communication devices, mainly for transmitting more or less furtive love messages. A language of the fan, which is today completely forgotten, was widely used. For your amusement we have recovered a set of messages pertaining to this language, which we include here: The lady shows up briefly at the balcony, slowly fanning herself, and returns inside, shutting the balcony: "I can’t go out" If she appears briefly at the balcony, excitedly fanning herself, and quickly goes inside, leaving the balcony open: "I’ll go out soon" Half-opening the fan over her face: "We are being watched over" Hitting any object: "I’m impatient" Hiding the sunlight: "You’re ugly" Looking closely at the painting: "I like you" Long ago, fans were used to communicate a Lady's thoughts graciously; they were used for more than just accessories to women's attire. Below are some meanings associated with a Victorian Lady's fan motions: Carrying it in the left hand: desirous of an acquaintance Carrying it in the right hand: you are too willing Carrying it in the right hand in front of the face: follow me Closing it: I wish to speak to you Drawing it across the cheek: I love you Drawing it across the eyes: I am sorry Drawing it across the forehead: we are being watched Drawing it through the hand: I hate you Dropping it: we will be friends Fan with the left hand in front of the face: leave me Fanning fast: I am engaged Fanning slow: I am married Letting it rest on the left cheek: no Letting it rest on the right cheek: yes Open and shut: you are cruel Open wide: wait for me Placing it on the right ear: you have changed Shut: I have changed Twirling it on the left hand: I love another With handle to the lips: kiss me http://www.floridareenactorsonline.com/fans.htm True to my word I have researched the Language of the Fan for my readers. I found two different versions of the language. As I read the two versions I found them quite intriguing. I do question if they were ever used.; As I explained to Bob and my husband; men do not pick up on subtleties and hints, how would they know this secret language.; And if you used this language every lady who knew it would know what you were saying to a particular gentleman. I also wonder how a man would know that the lady was using the fan as a fan or if she was sending a secret message. The first version is European and was dated back to the 18th century and went through to the early 19th century. If a lady appears at the balcony, slowly fanning her face, then she shuts the balcony. ; This means 'I can't go out'. If she does it excitedly, not shutting the balcony: 'I'll go out soon'. Resting the fan on her lips: ; 'I don't trust you'. Fanning herself with her left hand: ; 'Don't flirt with that woman'. Running her fingers through the ribs: ; 'I want to talk to you'. Fanning herself slowly: ; 'Don't waste your time, I don't care about you'. Fanning herself quickly: ; 'I love you so much'. Moving her hair away from her forehead: ; 'Don't forget me'. Passing the fan from hand to hand: ; 'I see that you are looking at another woman'. Hitting her hand's palm: ; 'Love me'. Carrying the fan closed and hanging from herleft hand: ; 'I'm engaged'. Carrying the fan closed and hanging from her right hand: ; 'I want to be engaged'. Closing the fan quickly and impetuously: ; 'I'm jealous'. Dropping the fan: ; 'I belong to you'. Resting the fan on her heart: ; 'My love for you makes me suffer'. Half-opened the fan over her face: ; 'We are being watched over'. Hitting any object: ; 'I'm impatient'. Hiding the sunlight: ; 'You're ugly'. Looking closely at the painting: ; 'I like you". Hiding the eyes behind the fan means I LOVE YOU Placing the fan behind the head means DON'T FORGET ME A shut fan on the right eye means WHEN MAY I BE ALLOWED TO SEE YOU Threating with a shut fan means DON'T BE SO IMPRUDENT Shutting the fully open fan slowly means I PROMISE TO MARRY YOU Opening and shutting the fan several times means YOU ARE CRUEL Pressing the half open fan to the lips means YOU MAY KISS ME The second language of the fan I found was published in 1877 in a book by Daniel R. Shafer titled "Secrets of Life Unveiled". Carrying in the right hand: ; 'You are too willing'. Carrying in the left hand: ; 'Desirous of an acquaintance'. Carrying in your right hand in front of your face: ; 'Follow me'. Letting it rest on the right cheek: ; 'Yes'. Letting it rest on the left cheek: ; 'No'. Placing it on the right ear: ; 'You have changed'. With the handle on to the lips: ; 'Kiss me'. Twirling it on the left hand: ; 'I love another'. Closing it: ; 'I wish to speak with you'. Dropping it: ; 'We will be friends'. Open and shut: ; 'You are cruel'. Open wide: ; 'Wait for me'. Shut: ; 'I have changed'. Fanning fast: ; 'I am engaged'. Fanning slow: ; 'I am married'. Drawing across the forehead: ; 'We are watched'. Drawing across the eyes: ; 'I am sorry'. Drawing through the hand: ; 'I hate you'. Drawing across the cheek: ; 'I love you'. There was even a painting done in 1882 by French painter Jules-Joseph Lefebvre; it portrays a woman in red with a red fan. I would like to know just one thing: Who was supposed to teach the men this secret language? ; And if all of this was true and used, my hat goes off to the ladies back then for being able to teach men to notice these little subtleties of signals. ; I wish I knew that secret! Thank you for your suggestions. Fredricka ..This article by Fredricka was suggested by the Capt. of the 3rd Maine. ; His wife was asking about the fan language. ; If anyone has an idea or question for Fredricka let me know and I will pass the question on to her. ; As soon as her email is up and running, I will publish her address and you can talk directly to her. ; Thanks. Bob http://www.wiedzaizycie.pl/97014100.htm Victorian Fans For victorian ladies, the fan spoke a secret language of love and was the most elegant accessory a lady could carry. The flutter of a fan was sometimes an elaborate code with definitions as precise as the Victorian language of flowers. At other times, its messages were sent in little gestures that punctuated the most conventional remark, would hide a blush or added something for a seemingly innocent glance. These fans were made of lace, silk, leather, feathers, leaves, paper, ivory and wood. The fan had been a means of conveying intimate thoughts. The flutters were described as the timorous flutter, the confused flutter, the amorous flutter, and even an angry flutter. Fluttering a fan at different speeds could indicate anything from rage, to interest, to the most languid indifference. A folded fan that was touched to milady's chin, told a gentleman that she found him attractive; touching the tip of a folded fan to one's lips was an unspoken declaration of love. Even the way a fan was closed could send a message. Snapping it shut was a curt dismissal; flickering it shut was a sudden slap to the palm and ended all conversation with it warning that one was being watched! Article By Marian A. Doyle "The Flutter Of A Fan" Victorian Decorating & Lifestyle Magazine June/July 1998 http://perso.club-internet.fr/raps/soireealacour1024.htm Je ne voulais plus faire de film, plus exactement, je voulais ne plus faire de film, en finir une fois pour toutes. Et pour dire cela, j'avais besoin d'en faire un, je ne pouvais le dire qu'en en faisant. Après Leçon de vie (terminé en 1995), que je considère comme mon « dernier film », mon « testament cinématographique », j’ai beaucoup filmé, cueillant, collectionnant jour après jour, semaine après semaine, images et sons, fragments de journal, archives personnelles et privées, idées et propositions de films. Depuis bientôt dix ans, j'avais commencé ces séries infinies (à l’instar des Cinématons de Gérard Courant), autour de titres et de thèmes générateurs: Onomatopées, le Langage de l'éventail, l’Amour en fleurs, Je suis fier d'être belge, Tentatives de se décrire, Confessions, Aide-mémoire, la Division de mon temps, Savoir compter jusqu’à cent, Homme portant son film le plus lourd, Mes voyages... Boris Lehman   MUSÉE RATH Place Neuve 4 1204 Genève • Jusqu'au 2 février 2003: Fleurs d'automne, costumes et masques du théâtre nô 8 décembre 2002: Le langage de l'éventail Où l'on apprend pourquoi le nó est un art samouraïs... Un vocabulaire précis à essayer ensemble.   The Forgotten Language of Fans A unique collection of about 120 European and 30 Oriental fans is on display through Nov. 18 at the National Museum in Cracow. The exhibits belong to the museum's collection, but are rarely presented to the public. The exhibition Ethereal Beauty features a chronological order. Enriched with dresses from the past, pictures, graphic art and woodcuts from Japan, it allows the viewer to trace the changes that took place over centuries in the function and appearance of fans. In modern times, elegant ladies from Venice in the 15th century were the first to carry fans, which from the start were assigned an important function of distinguishing unmarried from married women: the latter fanned themselves with feathers, while girls with a kind of small flag. The trinket object became famous due to Queen Elisabeth I, who officially acknowledged the fan to be the only gift worthy of a queen. Although the fan was a mandatory element of women's apparel, it was used frequently; opening a fan in the ruler's presence was considered an affront. Fans dating back to the 18th century are richly decorated with love scenes inspired by paintings by popular Rococo artists, such as Antoine Watteau. Those fans are often small works of art, sometimes very valuable: the materials used for the rack include ivory, tortoiseshell, horn, exotic wood and precious metal plates. Fans were made from silk and fine lace, covered with painting, embroidery and prints; very attractive are those from peacock, ostrich, bustard, marabou and rhea feathers. The fashion for "fan language," coming from Spain, spread in Europe immediately gaining great popularity. Being a woman of fashion was not easy. To use the fan with both skill and grace, it required good knowledge-either education at a special "academy" or from textbooks-and plenty of practice. Imagine such a scene taking place at one of the numerous balls at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries for instance in France: looking at a gentleman, a lady raises her opened fan to her heart, closes it slowly, then opens it just slightly again and covers with it her lips. Suddenly another young man appears. The lady starts to fan herself very quickly and then puts the fan up to her left ear. Without not even one word, everything is clear thanks to the fan code, today long forgotten. The message for the first man was: "You've won my love, I will marry you, you can kiss me," while for the second, "I am engaged, go away!" An English fan dated from about 1780, decorated by Gaetano Stefano Bartolozzi's copperplates, proves the great influence of graphic techniques on the history of fans. The printing of "regular" fans contributed to their accessibility; even regular townswomen could afford them. This, however, did not save fans from downfall in the wake of the French Revolution, which spurned them as a destructive symbol of luxury and decadence. Fans returned to favor at the beginning of the 19th century, with the vogue for little plate-fans, sometimes combined with opera-glasses. Quite surprisingly, the exhibition shows that fans were not only used by women to flirt with men. Fans were kept as souvenirs from a journey, presenting famous buildings, they commemorated important events ranging from the death of an emperor through a victorious battle to the opening of Miejski Theater in Lvov in 1900. Fans were used by collectors of autographs, or even as space for advertisements. From early ancient times, in the culture of the Far East the fan fulfilled multifarious functions. In Korea, it was attributed to a scholar. In Japan, priests used it in religious ceremonies, while the emperor presented it to his servants. Samurai used it for coded messages and also to attack an enemy-fans with an iron rack were a deadly weapon. Fan decoration had the status of a separate art discipline, reflecting trends present in painting. The favorite decorative motifs included flowers, birds, human figures and scenes from old legends. The exposition has a companion bilingual folder, in the form of a fan. The museum's gift shop offers for sale replicas of old fans. Edyta Gajewska Ethereal Beauty. Fans of the Occident and Orient, open through Nov. 18 in the main building of the National Museum in Cracow, 1, 3 Maja Ave.; Tue., Thu.-Sun. 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Wed. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Original Language The third range for Original Language is the 2003 spring/summer collection, Persuasion. Persuasion is based on the 18th Century European handheld fan language and fans themselves. The fan-inspired style combines function, beauty, sensuality and intrigue into the collection's designs. Sales inquiries (02) 9358-4856 or 0414 777 246. TwentyFourSeven is a fictional magazine. 27 november 2002 The Language of the Fan We all know how much Esmeraude loves her fuzzy red fans. But did you know that she could also be communicating by way of them? That her red fans have a language all their own? It's true. Fenella, a Spaniard who published fifty ways to communicate with a fan in Spanish, first brought the language of the fan to light. Here's the partial list in English. Feel free to print this off and see if you can catch Esmeraude doing any of these. ^^; Carrying in right hand in front of face:Follow me Carrying in left hand in front of face: Desirous of acquaintance Placing it on left ear: I wish to get rid of you Drawing it across the forehead: You have changed Twirling it in the left hand: We are watched Carrying it in the right hand: You are too willing Drawing through the hand: I hate you Twirling in the right hand: I love another Drawing across the cheek: I love you Presented shut: Do you love me? Drawing across the eyes: I am sorry Touching tip with finger: I wish to speak with you Letting it rest on right cheek: Yes Letting it rest on left cheek: No Open and shut: You are cruel Dropping it: We will be friends Fanning slowly: I am married Fanning quickly: I am engaged With handle to lips: Kiss me Open wide: Wait for me Carrying in left hand, open: Come and talk to me Placed behind head: Don't forget me With little finger extended: Good-bye The shut fan held to the heart: You have won my love The shut fan resting on the right eye: When may I be allowed to see you? Touching the unfolded fan in the act of waving: I long always to be near thee Threaten with the shut fan: Do not be so imprudent Gazing pensively at the shut fan: Why do you misunderstand me? Pressing the half-opened fan to the lips: You may kiss me Clasping the hands under the open fan: Forgive me I pray you Cover the left ear with the open fan: Do not betray out secret Shut the fully opened fan very slowly: I promise to marry you With handle to lips: Kiss Me. Carrying in the right hand in front of face: Follow Me. Carrying in the left hand: Desirous of acquaintance. Placing it on left ear: You have changed. Twirling in left hand: I wish to get rid of you. Drawing across forehead: We are watched. Carrying in right hand: You are too willing. Drawing across cheek: I love you. Drawing through hand: I hate you. Twirling in right hand: I love another. Closing it: I wish to speak to you. Drawing across eyes: I am sorry. Letting it rest on right cheek: Yes. Letting it rest on left cheek: No. Open and shut: You are cruel. Dropping: We are friends. Fanning slowly: I am married. Fanning fast: I am engaged. Open wide: Wait for me. Language of the Fan There are several ways of conversing with a fan, some familiar and some not. Were any actually used or merely posed as a conversational ploy? Nancy Armstrong, in her book Fans refers to some 18th century fans that were made in such a way that one could hold up the fan and pull back a tiny section revealing a letter of the alphabet behind it -- spelling out each word rather than remembering each fan 'signal'. Rather slow, and of course requiring good eyesight! In 1740 the following method was referred to in The Gentleman's Magazine, explained thus in the History of the Fan by Wooliscroft Rhead: Five signals are given, corresponding to the five divisions of the alphabet, the different letters, omitting the J being capable of division into five, the movements 1,2,3,4,5 corresponding to each letter in each division. By moving the fan with the left hand to right arm. The same movement but with right hand to left arm. Placing against the bosom. Raising it to the mouth. To the forehead. Example - Suppose DEAR to be the word to be expressed, D belongs to the first division, the fan must be moved to the right; then, as the number underwritten is four, the fan is raised to the mouth. E belonging to the same division, the fan is likewise moved to the right, and as the number underwritten is 5, the fan is lifted to the forehead and so forth. The termination of the word is distinguished by a full display of the fan, and as the whole directions with illustrations are displayed on the fan, this language is simpler than it might at first appear. Fenella, a Spaniard , published fifty directions on how to converse with a fan -- this was eventually translated into English by Duvelleroy of Paris, and printed on small cards. They are refined into 33 actions as follows: Carrying in right hand in front of face: FOLLOW ME Carrying in left hand in front of face: DESIROUS OF ACQUAINTANCE Placing it on left ear: I WISH TO GET RID OF YOU Drawing across the forehead: YOU HAVE CHANGED Twirling in left hand: WE ARE WATCHED Carrying in right hand: YOU ARE TOO WILLING Drawing through the hand: I HATE YOU Twirling in right hand: I LOVE ANOTHER Drawing across the cheek: I LOVE YOU Presented shut: DO YOU LOVE ME? Presenting a number of sticks, fan part opened: AT WHAT HOUR? Touching the unfolded fan in the act of waving: I LONG ALWAYS TO BE NEAR THEE Threaten with the shut fan: DO NOT BE SO IMPRUDENT Gazing pensively at the shut fan: WHY DO YOU MISUNDERSTAND ME? Pressing the half opened fan to the lips: YOU MAY KISS ME Clasping the hands under the open fan: FORGIVE ME I PRAY YOU Cover the left ear with the open fan: DO NOT BETRAY OUR SECRET Shut the fully opened fan very slowly: I PROMISE TO MARRY YOU Always presupposing the object of your silent conversation understands your 'language' this might prove an amusing diversion; and an explanation might be a means of starting conversation. CONDUCT FOR A PROPER SOCIETY The Language of the Fan It is a universal language that transcends verbal communication. The way that a lady carries her fan speaks volumes and can either give an impression of her intentions with a gentleman or provide a subtle invitation without appearing brazen. It is imperative that ladies and gentlemen alike are fluent in the language of the fan. 1) The fan placed near the heart: "You have won my love." 2) A closed fan touching the right eye: "When may I be allowed to see you?" 3) The number of sticks shown answers the question: "At what hour?" 4) Threatening movements with a fan closed: "Do not be so imprudent" 5) Half-opened fan pressed to the lips: "You may kiss me." 6) Hands clasped together holding an open fan: "Forgive me." 7) Covering the left ear with an open fan: "Do not betray our secret." 8) Hiding the eyes behind an open fan: "I love you." 9) Shutting a fully opened fan slowly: "I promise to marry you." 10) Drawing the fan across the eyes: "I am sorry." 11) Touching the finger to the tip of the fan: "I wish to speak with you." 12) Letting the fan rest on the right check: "Yes." 13) Letting the fan rest on the left cheek: "No." 14) Opening and closing the fan several times: "You are cruel" 15) Dropping the fan: "We will be friends." 16) Fanning slowly: "I am married." 17) Fanning quickly: "I am engaged." 18) Putting the fan handle to the lips: "Kiss me." Use your fan to convey your message 19) Opening a fan wide: "Wait for me." 20) Placing the fan behind the head: "Do not forget me." 21) Placing the fan behind the head with finger extended: "Goodbye." 22) Fan in right hand in front of face: "Follow me." 23) Fan in left hand in front of face: "I am desirous of your acquaintance." 24) Fan held over left ear: "I wish to get rid of you." 25) Drawing the fan across the forehead: "You have changed." 26) Twirling the fan in the left hand: "We are being watched." 27) Twirling the fan in the right hand: "I love another." 28) Carrying the open fan in the right hand: "You are too willing." 29) Carrying the open fan in the left hand: "Come and talk to me." 30) Drawing the fan through the hand: "I hate you!" 31) Drawing the fan across the cheek: "I love you!" 32) Presenting the fan shut: "Do you love me?" Activity #1: Social Studies: Places & People: Mexico and Latin American CultureActivity #1: The Poinsettia Legend The Legend of the Poinsettia: A Mexican Legend. This Mexican legend has a beautiful and meaningful message that can be shared with the children. Explore it and decide how would like to include its content in the activities. This legend is appropriate for a memorable Bible activity as it relates to The Nativity (Luke 2 & Mathew 2). Idea: Hold a finished fan craft during this part of the discussion or have other examples of fans. The hand held fan has been used mostly by women in one form or another by many cultures. In Latin America it was used mostly to help ease the hot summer days. The fan could me made of many materials and often it could be folded (accordion style folds). These could be very embellished with beautiful images which could be embroidered or painted and reflected family traditions and/or religious scenes. Some fans were regarded as heirlooms and transferred from a mother to daughter on very special occasions like a wedding or birth of a child. A lady could have many fans to match her different outfits or special ones just for the holidays, like Christmas. Ladies would also use their fans during dances and also used "The Language of the Fan", for example, to admonish their children by gently tapping their leg with it (a wordless, "Hush, little one... "). This "Language of the Fan" (distinct for different Latin American countries) , meant ladies would move or tap their fan in different ways to secretly convey messages. Share with the children they will be making a poinsettia fan to celebrate the Christmas / winter holidays and possibly give it as gift to a special lady in their lives, like Mom, Grandma, other relative, child care provider or preschool teacher. http://www.first-school.ws/activities/crafts/holiday/poinsettia.htm How to Communicate Across a Crowded Room Without Saying a Word In the early days of the Tango, young ladies were accompanied to the dances by a chaperone, usually their mothers or an aunt. In order to communicate with the young men, the ladies created a way to send a message with their fans. If the lady moved her fan very slowly over her chest it meant: "I am free and available, I don't have a boyfriend" If she moved the fan in fast and short movements over her chest it meant, "I have a partner or boyfriend, so keep going". If she opened and closed her fan and touched her cheek with it, it told the gentleman: "I like you!" If she placed the fan on her temple and looked upwards, it said: "I think of you day and night!" If she saw her boyfriend talking to another girl or suspected he was being unfaithful she touched the tip of her nose with her fan, meaning: "Something doesn't smell good here" If she walked from side to side hitting the palm of her hand with the fan, it meant: "Be careful, the "Chaperone" is coming" And finally, if she covered her mouth with the open fan and looked at him very suggestively she was sending him a kiss and obviously the young man knew he was the chosen one. Today, we may have forgotten the language of the fan, but we know that sure comes in handy in a steamy milonga. These fans are made of fabric with plastic framework. They are simple, attractive, and open and close easily with that satisfying "snap". Available in Red or Black - $10.00 includes shipping.

Language of the Fan by Ivison & Louis Wheatley Softback, 35 pages, 23 colour, 13 b/w illustrations, ISBN 948 939 06 0 UK £6.00 Europe £6.50 USA £7.50 (including p & p) Published to accompany the exhibition of the same name, this booklet explores the history of the fan and the etiquette surrounding its use in eighteenth-century polite society - Fairfax House Publications Castlegate, York YO1 9RN ENGLAND Tel 01904 655543 Fax: 01904 652262 www.fairfaxhouse.co.uk   Le Langage de l'Eventail - 1882 Jules-Julien Lefebvre -

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From a Spain trip plan ...shoppers will find a large variety of beautiful silk fans: the shop assistant should be able to explain the famous “fan language” – the different ways to hold, fold and unfold this elegant accessory, just as the Spanish beauties used to do in the past to express (discreetly) their feelings... ? The Jerusalem Post Wednesday, September 9, 1998 (19 Elul 5758) WITH PREJUDICE: Will she, or won't she? By ALEX BERLYNE ...A few years ago, a British judge virtually blamed a rape victim for being responsible for her ordeal. When a woman said "No," this idiot informed the jury in his summing up, she might very well mean "Yes."... ...One example of what are frequently ambiguous situations was spelled out in 1922, for example, by Helen Rowland. "Why does a man take it for granted that a girl who flirts with him wants him to kiss her," she asked in A Guide to Men, "when nine times out of ten she only wants him to want to kiss her."... ...Dapper Dan Collins, one of the 20th century's most outstanding utilitarian philosophers, an occupation he combined with robbing coin-boxes, maintained that "between the ages of 16 and 60 no man is completely sane except for the 10 minutes immediately following orgasm." FORTUNATELY, ADVICE for the perplexed is available from Robert Kubiak, who teaches a nine-hour course on flirting - for those who are pathologically shy or, perhaps, simply out of practice - through Toronto's Network for Learning... ...Nearly 2,000 years ago Ovid claimed that "Venus favours the bold," but Kubiak prefers a cautious, step-by-step approach. As Max Kaufman once pointed out, these things cannot be rushed. "Our courtship was fast and furious," he wrote, "I was fast and she was furious."... TO ADD to the difficulties, Kubiak points out that many women's first moves - "accidental" touches or quick glances - are often missed by the men they want to flirt with. Perhaps one way to solve the problem would be to reintroduce the 17th-century "fan language" which was universally understood. Special conventions in handling the fan "grew into code signals of amorous import," as Eleanor Sachs, a curator of New York's Metropolitan Museum, once put it. She was not alluding, of course to Sally Rand's famous dance with two ostrich-plume fans which the Burlesque Queen waved about to cover and - the Rand is Quicker than the Eye - never quite uncover parts of her naked body. Eleanor Sachs was, in fact, referring to a useful if less coarse code; a fluttering fan held just below the eyes was, for example, a flirtatious declaration of availability, while a closed fan tapped on an unsuitable cavaliere's shoulder signified dismissal. THE MET collection includes marvelous confections of lace and pierced mother-of-pearl, but there is nothing to compare with my rattan fan which is just like the one Fredric March waved about when he played William Jennings Bryan in Inherit the Wind, the movie based on the Scopes "monkey trial." This was presented to me some years ago and its message is only too clear: A.G. Brinkman Funeral Director Phone Plaza 5058 8131 Mack Ave. Detroit. It is a great pity that fans are to all intents and purposes obsolete for, before the introduction of air-conditioning, Fredric March found his invaluable for coping with the heat of a sweltering southern courtroom. They might have come in handy, too, for those unfortunates who were inflamed with passion when they came within the sizzling orbit of that ludicrous arch-seductress, Marlene Dietrich, who sang Frederick Hollander's, er, torch-song in The Blue Angel: Men cluster to me,. Like moths around the flame,. And if their wings burn, . They know I'm not to blame... The Crown and Court Duet... Fantasy novels are frequently served up in trios, but these two are perfectly tuned as a duet. Sherwood Smith's Crown Duel begins the tale of what happens when a brave young woman sets out to overthrow an unjust king, and launches the passionate argument between Meliara, Countess of Tlanth, and Vidanric, Marquis of Shevraeth, who has his own agenda for reformation. Book II, Court Duel, continues the argument, but replaces the tense encounters and pitched battles of the first volume with the subtle flutters of fan language and an increasingly suspenseful exchange of letters. Sherwood Smith's narrative never wavers from the point of view of her heroine, who is endearingly slow to realize what's between her and Shevraeth, and slow, too, to understand that it will take the combination of their two approaches to solve the problems of Remalna and bring about a new age. ?

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