- Home
- Collections
- Search the Collection
- Handheld Church Fan, 1970s
Handheld Church Fan, 1970s
Object Details
- Description
- This fan from Knoxville, Tennessee, is dated to the 1970s. It depicts an image of Martin Luther King Jr., John Kennedy, and Robert Kennedy on one side, titled "Freedom Fighters," and an advertisement for Reed’s Mortuary on the other. Handheld fans were often used in churches across America, particularly southern Protestant congregations. Church fans often included depictions of religious or famous figures of the past and present on the front, and information from local businesses on the back. They were at once devotional objects, connections between churches and social movements such and civil rights, and an effective advertising medium. The fans were usually made with paper, cardboard, wood, and ink.
- Credit Line
- Gift of Eleanor Dickinson
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
- Date made
- 1970
- ID Number
- CL.306787.33B
- catalog number
- 306787.33B
- accession number
- 306787
- depicted
- Kennedy, Robert F.
- King, Jr., Martin Luther
- Kennedy, John F.
- Object Name
- Fan
- Physical Description
- paper, cardboard (overall material)
- wood (handle material)
- ink (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 12 1/8 in x 7 1/2 in x 1/8 in; 30.7975 cm x 19.05 cm x .3175 cm
- place made
- United States: Tennessee, Knoxville
- See more items in
- Home and Community Life: Religion
- Religion
- Many Voices, One Nation
- Exhibition
- Many Voices, One Nation
- Exhibition Location
- National Museum of American History
- religion association
- Protestantism, Revivalism
- Record ID
- nmah_214151
- Usage
- CC0
Related Object Groups
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.