This hand-painted Limoges box is patterned after one of Martha Washington’s antique silk fans in the collection.  Surprise!  Inside is another miniature fan.

Southern culture in early America has been marked by hospitality, hoop skirts and -because of the hot summers - the ubiquitous fan.  But a lady’s fan was much more than a tool to stay cool.  For colonial women, including Martha Washington, the fan was a means of silent communication.

Measures 3” wide x 1 3/4” deep x 5/8” high. Fan inside measures 2” wide x 1” deep x 1/8” high.