[SUBMITTED PHOTO]This circa 1870 fan belonged to Carrie Slicer. It was donated to the Botetourt History Museum by Sally Ripley and is displayed on the parlor mantle. Being made of fabric and painted with flowers it was well used. “The Language and Etiquette of the Fan” from Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest explains how the fan was used by women to communicate with a man or another woman without saying a word. From telling someone they are ugly to telling someone “I love you,” the fan’s use had specific meanings.
