Exhibition Dates: September 18 - November 10, 2000

The exhibition Unfolding Expressions featured selected hand fans from the collection of Opal Spindler of New Orleans, Louisiana.  Included in this extensive and diverse collection were souvenir, autograph, mourning, and advertising fans made from multiple fabrications including paper, fabric, feather, lace and parchment.  Fans shown represented various construction techniques resulting in folding, flat, frise', cabriolet, and cockade fans.  The exhibited fans encompassed western fashion fans as well as ethnographic fans and spanned two centuries.  Of special interest were a souvenir fan from the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair and autographed fans from the late 1800s and early 1900s that became personal mementos of events and parties.  One read like a scrapbook with the signatures of its male participants, recording their universities and graduating classes as well as personalized remarks.

Read more on our other past exhibitions