Statue of Liberty Patriotic Printed Paddle Fan, Early 20th Century

Presented is a Statue of Liberty patriotic printed paddle fan from the early 20th century. At center, the Statue of Liberty stands tall, her shining torch held above her head. On either side of the statue are large, waving 48-star American flags. At top center, a bald eagle carrying the American shield flies above a rising sun on the water and below an unfurling yellow banner, emblazoned with the word “LIBERTY.” The design is completed with a Navy sailor at left and an Army infantryman at right.  The fan is a beautifully designed composition of American patriotic symbols, and is attached to its original wooden stick.  From the beginning of the 19th Century, fans commemorated national events, such as centennials, statehoods, inaugurations, or the birthdays of public figures. Americans who had imported European fans from the late 1600s to the mid-1800s, joined the fan-making fray soon after the Civil War and made-in-America fans began to acquire a following by 1867. Concurrently, advance