FanningtheFlamesofRebellion:TheWorthingJacobiteFan

JanetAspley

Fan.Ivoryguardstickand19othersticks.PapermountbearinghandcolouredengravingshowingCharlesEdwardStuartandarangeofallegoricalfigures.C1745.

TheruleoftheStuartdynastyendedwiththeoverthrowofJamesIIduringthe‘GloriousandBloodlessRevolution’of1688,yetattemptstorestorehisdescendantstothethronebythosededicatedtothe‘JacobiteCause’continuedwellintothefollowingcentury.ThisfancelebratestheclaimtothethronemadebyCharlesJamesStuart(1720-1788),knownas‘BonniePrinceCharlie’or‘TheYoungPretender’.CharlesJamesledaJacobiteRebellionin1745,bywhichtimeGreatBritainwasruledbytheHanoverKingGeorgeII;WorthingMuseumandArtGalleryattributesthatdatetothisfan.ItwasdonatedtotheMuseumin1999andhadpreviouslybeenintheownershipofthedonor’sfamilysincetheeighteenthcentury.

Thefan’sillustrationshowsCharlesdressedinarmour,withraisedsword;analtarnearbyistoppedwithburninghearts.Fameholdsalaurelwreath,thesymbolofvictory,overhishead.MarsandBelladonnastandtohisleft,alongsideEnvyandDiscord,atwhomJupiter,

showninthesky,directsathunderbolt.Inthebackground,theHanoverfamilyflees.ToCharles’right,alionisshownhavingoverpoweredadoe,anassertionofthesupposedwarrior-likesupremacyoftheStuartovertheHanoverdynasty.VenusisseatedwithCupidatherknee.Britanniarestsattheedgeofthescene,asadovebringsheranolivebranch.TheprintishandcolouredandwasreproducedfromanengravingbySirRobertStrange(1721-1792),aleadingartistofthedaywhowasassociatedwiththeJacobitecauseandwasclosetoCharlesEdwardStuartthroughoutthe1745rising.1

TheJacobitecauseproducedmanyobjectsthatservedaspropaganda.By1745,theyoftenboreaportraitofCharlesJamesStuart.Asdecorativeandfunctionalitemsthatwerewidelyused,fanswereapopularwaytopubliciseimagesofthe‘BonniePrince’thatcelebratedhisclaimtoroyalstatus.Owningsuchitems,whichsuggestedallegiancetotheStuartclaimstotheCrown,couldbeconsideredtreasonous.2Neverthelesstheywereproducedinconsiderablenumbersandinmaterialsthatmadethemeasilyaccessible.NeilGuthrie,inhisanalysisofthematerialcultureoftheperiod,reportsthat“‘Greatquantities’ofapaperfanwithaportraitofakingandthemotto‘chacunàsontour’weredistributedinEnglandin1713”.3Inthecaseofthisfan,themainmaterialsarewoodandpaper,withonlytheend‘guardstick’inmorepreciousivory.Paperwasafairlyfragileoptionforthedecorativefanmount;ivoryguardstickswereoftenreusedinnewfanswhenthedecorativemounttore.ThisparticularfanhastearstothepaperwhichareknowntohavebeenexpertlyrepairedinLondonatsometimeinitslife.

Anumberofexamplesoffansinthisdesignsurvive.4ThefanswerecommonlybeenbelievedtohavebeenproducedinEdinburghandweregiventoladieswhoattendedaball,thoughttohavebeenheldatHolyroodHouse,tocelebratetheJacobitevictoryattheBattleofPrestonpanson21September1745.Fansofthistypewerecommonlygiventoladiesattendingsocietyoccasions.ThefanhistorianHélèneAlexanderspeculatesthatwhilstsomefansinthisdesignwereprintedinEdinburghduringthePrince’sresidencethere,afurtherbatchmayhavebeenprintedinParisandcarriedwithhimwhenhereturnedtoexileinEurope,perhapsevenbeingpresentedtoladiesattendinghisweddinginRomein1772.5As

1LionelCust,CatalogueoftheCollectionofFansandFan-Leaves:PresentedtotheBritishMuseumbyLadyCharlotteSchreiber(London:ForgottenBooks,2017)2.2NeilGuthrie,TheMaterialCultureoftheJacobites(Cambridge:CambridgeUP,2013)20-21.Guthriesuggeststhatachargeofhightreason,whichcarriedthedeathpenalty,wasmorelikelytobebroughtinresponseto“conspiracies,actsofforceandactualrebellionratherthantosomethingrelativelyinnocuouslikethedistributionorpossessionofmaterialculture….Moreoftenthannot,however,offencesinvolvingJacobitematerialculturewouldhavebeenprosecutedasmisdemeanours,forwhichthepenaltymightbeafine,timeinthepillory,floggingorimprisonment.”3RichardSharp,“’OurCommonMother,theChurchofEngland’:Nonjurors,HighChurchmen,andtheEvidenceofSubscriptionLists”,LoyaltyandIdentity:JacobitesatHomeandAbroad,ed.PaulMonodetal.(Basingstoke:PalgraveMacmillan,2010)57qtdinGuthrie,TheMaterialCultureoftheJacobites,28.4HeleneAlexander,“ThePrinceandTheFan,”FanAssociationofNorthAmerica6.2(1987):16.Exampleswiththesameengraving,butvariationsinthesticksandguards,arealsoheldattheVictoriaandAlbertMuseum,theBritishMuseumandtheWestHighlandMuseum.5Alexander,“ThePrinceandTheFan,”17.

fortheHolyroodball,thehistorianJacquelineRidinghasquestionedwhetheritevertookplace,sincetheonlypossibledateforitwouldhavebeenSunday,22September1745and“aVictory‘Ball’ontheSabbathwouldhavebeenastretch”.6Ifitdidnottakeplace,thenthefanisanobjectthatillustratesnotonlyhowtheimageofCharlesJamesStuartastherightfulkingofGreatBritainwasconstructedanddisseminatedduringhislifetime,butalsohowhisfailuretowinthethronewasromanticised.ThevictoryballattheEdinburghcourtofthedoomed‘BonniePrinceCharlie’,andthefansgivenawaythereasfavours,areperhapspartofthemythologyoftheJacobite‘LostCause’.

Bibliography

Alexander,Helene.Fans.London:B.T.Batsford,1984.Print.

Alexander,Helene.“ThePrinceandTheFan.”FanAssociationofNorthAmerica6.2(1987):8-19.Print.

Cust,Lionel.CatalogueoftheCollectionofFansandFan-Leaves:PresentedtotheBritishMuseumbyLadyCharlotteSchreiber.London:ForgottenBooks,2017.Print.

Guthrie,Neil.TheMaterialCultureoftheJacobites.Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress,2013.Print.

Riding,Jacqueline.ANewHistoryofthe'45Rebellion.London:Bloomsbury,2016.Print.

6JacquelineRiding,ANewHistoryofthe'45Rebellion(London:Bloomsbury,2016).