Unfolding Pictures: Queen Mary's Coronation Fan, 1911

Queen Mary's Coronation Fan, 1911
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Presented by the Worshipful Company of Fan Makers to Queen Mary on the occasion of the coronation on June 22, 1911, this fan of a cream cotton lace leaf is supported by plain blond tortoiseshell guards and sticks. Upon the front guard is an applied gold monogram of “MR” surmounted by a crown. The bottom of the fan is punctuated by a gold pin with diamond heads and a gold loop

This lace fan lead is painted with four shields of arms and a decorative border containing the rose, thistle and shamrock. Very often in the inventory of the Royal Collection, this fan was noted by Queen Mary as being “in use” throughout her lifetime. So, obviously, it was a favorite. It is shown in photographs as being used in India during the Durbar celebrations.

The fan was designed by the industrial designer, fan-maker and fan historian George Woolliscroft Rhead while the leaf was created in the workshop of Miss Fowler of Honiton. The guards and sticks were carved by Robert Gleeson under the direction of Mr Joseph Ettlinger, Past Master of the Fan Makers Company. The original box survives.

A similar fan was created by the Honiton lace-makers at the time of Queen Elizabeth’s (the Queen Mother) coronation in 1937. That leaf, however, incorporates roses, thistles and ferns and was designed by the niece of Miss Fowler.