Images(2)

Fan

Period1880

Place MadeNew York, New York, U.S.A.

MediumChromolithograph on heavy paper, brown wood sticks, brass pivot loop

Dimensions13 × 1.25 in. (33 × 3.2 cm)

ClassificationsCostume, Women's

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Kathleen Moan 1951

Object number3374

DescriptionA woman's hand fan, comprised of brown wood sticks shaped and pierced, fastened with a brass pivot pin and attached loop ring. The heavy paper is printed with colorful chromolithograph panels front and back depicting a variety of women's summer straw hats interspersed with oval images of fashionable women wearing hats. On one side, "H. O. Bernard & Co., New York" is printed, with "Summer 1880" above. In small print beneath is "Donaldson Brothers, Five Points, N.Y."
Curatorial RemarksHand fans were a ubiquitous part of a woman's wardrobe for centuries. By the mid to late 19th century, the introduction of and improvement in color printing combined with the fan's everyday use to create colorful advertising opportunities. The straw hat company of H. O. Bernard produced this brightly colored and generously sized paper and wood fan. Both sides of the fan feature various styles of women's spring bonnets of the 1880 season.NotesHenry O. Bernard was born in Brooklyn in around 1833, the son of Simon and Clementine (1812-1875) Bernard. He started a business of manufacturing ladies' woven straw hats. Eventually, his company was the largest and most successful straw hat manufacturing firm in the world. By 1880, the firm was doing $2.5 million dollars in business, with a payroll of $400,000 and between 1,200 and 1,300 employees. The firm apparently had offices and retail space in New York, while its main manufacturing plant was in Westborough, Massachusetts. Bernard lived with his wife Helen and daughters Louise, Virginia, and Helen (who would marry Mr. Butterfield, another straw manufacturer) in a luxurious home in Brooklyn. Newspaper articles described the fine furniture and oil paintings within the home. Bernard also owned a number of race horses, and at one time was brought up on charges of attempting to bribe a rival trainer. The company experienced financial issues. In 1888, the firm was in trouble and had to extend its loans due to overstock. Bernard appears to have tried to hide the company's books, mailing them to a baggage depot in New Rochelle. The books were discovered, however, and turned over to the authorities. By 1908, the once successful Henry Bernard was in a mental asylum in Westborough, suffering from paranoia. A newspaper article noted that he had "once been a wealthy and prosperous resident of Brooklyn," but his mental state was such that "present conditions are that he will end his days there." His obituary, which appeared after his death on March 12, 1916, revealed a fascinating side to Bernard. After the Civil War, widow Mary Todd Lincoln was poverty stricken and went to New York to arrange the sale of many of her gowns and jewelry. Bernard paid her expenses at the Grand Union Hotel and arranged for a nurse to care for Mrs. Lincoln. Bernard also contributed $250 to a fund for the victims of the 1871 Great Chicago Fire. The chromolithograph firm of Donaldson Brothers produced the colorful fan. The firm was located in the once-notorious Five Points section of New York and was in business as early as 1875. One of the firm's owners was Frank J. Donaldson (1846-1896). For many years, the firm gave its workers a half-day every Saturday with a full day's pay.

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