The engraved leaf of this folding paper fan is decorated with more than 70 naval and mercantile flags from around the world, each with an identifying caption. The centrepiece of the design is the Standard of Great Britain, encircled with the garter (bearing the Latin motto ‘Honi soit qui mal y pense’). Other British naval flags are arranged around the garter: (clockwise from top) Vice-Admiral, White Ensign, Union, Blue Ensign, Red Ensign and Admiralty. The remaining flags, including East India Company, French National, Dutch, America, Persia, Turks, Great Mogul, Chinese and Tartar, are laid out in three rows about this motif. The title of the print – ‘The Royal Naval Flag-Fan & Principal Kingdoms & Republics in the World’ – is inscribed below.

Although undated, the print illustrates a flag labelled ‘French National’ with a tricolour canton. The first official naval flag of the French Republic, this flag was used between 1790 and 1794, providing a date range for the fan’s production. Next to this flag is that of the Kingdom of France with the royal coat of arms on a background of fleurs-de-lis (labelled ‘French Standard’), providing a further indication that the fan was created during the tumultuous aftermath of the French Revolution. The print also includes the stars-and-stripes American flag in its original configuration with 13 stars, as used from 1777 until 1795, when additional stars were added to represent Vermont and Kentucky.

In 18th-century Britain, fans were gendered objects. They were designed for and circulated among affluent female consumers. The young woman fluttering a fan over her tightly corseted bosom (and perhaps catching the eye of a male suitor in the process) has become one of the most enduring stereotypes of the period, associating 18th-century femininity with luxury, frivolity and flirtatious allure. ‘The Royal Naval Flag-Fan’ challenges and complicates this trope. It demonstrates that fans were more than mere fashion accessories. They could be tools for disseminating information about national and international affairs to an audience of well-informed women. In this case, the fan provided a handy index of kingdoms, republics and trading companies, equipping women to identify naval and merchant ships via their flags.

With flags from all over the world, including Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas, the fan illustrates the global trading networks that developed during the 18th century. Moreover, the central placement and large size of the Royal Standard suggests that Britain is the dominant power within these networks. The fact that this visualisation of imperialist sentiment appears on a traditionally feminine fashion accessory is a potent reminder of how empire was consumed and domesticated in Britain – and of the crucial role that women played in this process.

An earlier, hand-painted fan in the collection (OBJ0434) provides a precedent for the design of The Royal Naval Flag-Fan. Dating from 1727, this fan commemorates the Siege of Gibraltar in 1727. One side shows a diagram of the siege, while the other features ‘A View of the Colours Worn at Sea by the Princes of Europe’, consisting of 30 flags laid out in three rows.