Lightyears Collection
Fans (Éventails)

Click on image to enlarge Advertising fan for L.T. Piver's Floramye perfume and fragranced products, as seen from the front.

Click on image to enlarge Rear view, showing advertising for L.T. Piver's Floramye.

Click on image to enlarge Another beautiful fan advertising L.T. Piver's Floramye.

Starting somewhere around the 17th century and continuing until the rise of the atomizer in the second half of the 19th century, fans (éventails) served as an object to which perfume could be applied. This use was entirely logical for a reasonable amount of perfume could be absorbed by the material of the fan, the material could retain the fragrance for a reasonable amount of time, and a reasonable amount of fragrance would be given off when the fan was flapped by the user.

As the atomizer replaced the perfumed fan, the nature of the fan changed from being a perfumed object to being an advertising object for perfumer. In fact, advertising fans promoted many products and services ranging from funeral parlors to railroads; champagne to beer.

The first decade of the 20th century saw the use of advertising fans by a number of French perfumeries including Rigaud, L.T. Piver, Bourjois, Godot, and Parfumes Rosine.

The example shown to the left is by L.T. Piver advertising it's Floramye perfume and product line.

If you have any information on perfumed fans or fans used as advertising for perfume, please share it with us using the message sender below.

• Melissa Pasnin, 11/10/2021. I have a fan by the same perfumerie advertising the same perfume with a different print on it. Would you be interested or could give me a valuation? It's in good to fair condition.
  

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