Numerous plain brisé fans with wooden sticks were exported from Vienna in the second half of the nineteenth century, to be decorated either by professional artists or by amateur artists working at home. In this case the sticks bear small photographic portraits of the children of the Prince and Princess of Wales, thus ensuring that the fan would be a particularly fitting birthday present for the Princess in December 1871. The children are (from left to right) Princess Victoria (photographed ?by W. & D. Downey, 1870), Prince Albert Victor (later Duke of Clarence; photographed ?by Hills & Saunders, 1868), Princess Louise (later Duchess of Fife; photographed by Hills & Saunders, May 1869), Prince George (later King George V; photographed by Hills & Saunders, c.1868) and Princess Maud (later Queen Maud of Norway; photographed ?by W. & D. Downey, 1870).

Neither the donor nor the creator of this charming fan is recorded. However, they must have been closely associated with the royal family, for the photographs of the royal children which it incorporates would not have been accessible to others. This fan would have been a particularly poignant gift following the death of the Princess’s sixth child, Prince John, on 7 April 1871, twenty-four hours after his premature birth. Then in late November the Prince of Wales fell seriously ill; typhoid was diagnosed and by the day of the Princess’s birthday the Prince was unconscious and thought to be in a terminal condition. The Prince and Princess and their family were at their new home at Sandringham at the time, and the Princess’s birthday was not celebrated. As Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse, was at Sandringham supporting the Princess of Wales at the time of her birthday, it is possible that she created this rather hastily assembled but very personal gift for her sister-in-law. The speed of creation is suggested by the fact that all of the photographs were outdated by over a year. The quality of decoration is not of the high level that one would expect from Princess Alice, who was an accomplished artist. She was also adept at producing decorative borders, and a number of pages in her Hauschronik - both written and illuminated by the Princess - include lettered ribbons as on this fan.

Text adapted from Unfolding Pictures: Fans in the Royal Collection 2005