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1920

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2014

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2025

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Brisé Fan (Austria), 1873

This is a Brisé fan. It was manufactured by Mrs. James O. Green. It is dated 1873 and we acquired it in 1920. Its medium is painted wood sticks, silk ribbon. It is a part of the Textiles department.


Title: Swiss Style



During the nineteenth century, many European nations endeavored to define their cultural identities and to establish national histories. This romantic nationalism was characterized by a nostalgia that fueled an interest in historic folk customs. Peasants were commonly viewed as synonymous with nationhood and peasant costumes were the subject of interest and national pride. This fan, produced in Switzerland for the 1873 Vienna Exposition, features regional Swiss figures in the style of the Mathias Gabriel Lory, an artist who published a collection of costume engravings in 1824. [1] At the time of the Vienna Exposition, the Swiss federal state was only 25 years old, having been established after a civil war in 1847. The diversity of citizenship celebrated by the fan reflects the importance of unity to the Swiss, who were in the process of revising their new constitution. International expositions provided a stage upon which individual nations could display cultural traditions and exhibit artistic and industrial strengths.

Lory, Mathias G, F.W Moritz, and Carl Meyer. Costumes Suisses: Dédiées À Son Altesse Royal Le Prince Royal De Prusse. Neuchâtel: Imprimerie de C.H. Wolfrath, 1824.

This object was featured in our Object of the Week series in a post titled Swiss Style.

This object was donated by Mrs. James O. Green. It is credited Gift of Mrs. James O. Green.

Its dimensions are

H x W: 43.3 x 23.8 cm (17 1/16 x 9 3/8 in.)

Cite this object as

Brisé Fan (Austria), 1873; Manufactured by Mrs. James O. Green (American, 1856–1922); painted wood sticks, silk ribbon; H x W: 43.3 x 23.8 cm (17 1/16 x 9 3/8 in.); Gift of Mrs. James O. Green; 1920-10-1

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If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://www-4.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18208689/ |title=Brisé Fan (Austria), 1873 |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=12 July 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>