Approximately 3.5 x 2.25 inches

Folding fans play an important role in Japanese Noh drama, where a fan may represent such varied objects as the moon, a lantern, or a dagger. When fans were adopted by Victorian-era American women as a fashion accessory, they were also used as a form of wordless communication. As in Noh, gesture was everything for a young woman in a social situation. In 1872, for example, the Young Ladies’ Journal offered this handy list for decoding the secret language of fans:

Fan fast – I am independent

Fan slow – I am engaged

Fan with right hand in front of face – come on

Fan with left hand in front of face – leave me

Fan open and shut – kiss me

Fan open wide – love

Fan half open – friendship

Fan shut – hate

Fan swinging – can I see you home?

Twirling in right hand – I am watching you

Drawn slowly across the cheek – I love you

Resting fan on right cheek – yes

Placing the fan behind your head – don’t forget me

Touching the fan against your left ear – go away!

One wonders exactly what message the three young ladies in the tintype above intended to send by sprawling on the floor of the studio and glaring so intently from behind their fans. That particular gesture does not seem to be on the list!