Featured Ivory Fan?

Have this old Fan,belonged to my Grandmother in the 30/40's, any way of dating it?
Possibly Ivory, how do I verify what it is made of and the age?

Cheers, John.

 

Hi John, folks here will want to see a few close up photos of your fan to help make a determination about the material. Natural light is always best, but good incandescent will work as well. Any way you can snap a few more pics? Thanks

 

Thank you, John! Hang tight, people come and go from all corners of the globe at all hours.

 

I don't see any evidence of Schreger lines. Here's some pictures of what you should see if the fan was made of ivory.

https://www.google.com/search?q=sch...iw=1536&bih=684&dpr=1.25#imgrc=BcvyMxzWY5WJuM

 

A quick curatorial note on celluloid. It is a form of plastic, a chemical concoction, and as such, these sometimes go bad over time. Monitor any items you may have for celluloid disease, a break-down evidenced by odor, weeping, cracking and flaking. If you find that, it should be isolated from the rest of your objects, or they will be affected as well. Unfortunately, it is irreversible. Here's a very helpful Conserv-O-gram from the pros at the National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/08-04.pdf

 

My grandmother had a very similar one and from recollection it felt like hard plastic or maybe celluloid but I am no expert.

 

The diagnostic schreger lines cross-hatching of elephant ivory are most visible on cross sections, or at least curved areas, of the original tusk. They will be much less apparent, or even invisible, on thin flat sections cut along the length of the tusk (a tangential section), such as these fan sticks, or piano keys. What might be visible are faint nested cone shapes, or a sort of "watered" effect.

Here are piano keys, which traditionally used elephant ivory. (The lighter keys in this view are modern ivory alternatives. The yellower ones are genuine ivory.)

 

A LOT of these fans were made of bone, and sold as tourist souvenirs. That's most likely what it is.

Did fans exist made of ivory? Absolutely. But bone ones are far more common, and this looks like bone.

 

nice fan.....well looked after too !!!

 

I was researching fans recently as I had a pretty good one that came in a mixed lot. It’s hard to see much in your photos but bone seemed to be very common. Celluloid as others mentioned as well. Mine was bone. They can be worth a surprising amount and they sell quite well. Yours looks to be in good condition. Check for comps on eBay.