History of the Fan

by G. Woolliscroft Rhead

The Abolition of the Slave Trade.

Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris.

‘Cabriolet’ Fan.

Schreiber Colln. British Museum.

The ‘Day of Poignards’ (February 28, 1791) approaches, and friends of Royalty (les chevaliers de poignard) rally round the son of sixty kings. We all know the issue: chevaliers retreated with greater expedition than they came—flung ignominiously downstairs into the darkness of the Tuileries garden, accelerated by ignominious shovings from the sentries—‘spurnings a posteriori, not to be named.’[140] Our veracious chronicler the fan provides us with a representation of the scene. The inscription, ‘Arestation e Désarmement de gens au suspects Ch^au des thuileries le 28 F^er 1791 à 10^h du soir,’ with six verses of a revolutionary song, entitled, ‘La Soirée des Poignards,’ the refrain:

‘Quoi l’habit bleu vous fait peur

Valeureux Aristocrates,

Quoi l’habit bleu vous fait peur

Brave ci-devant Seigneur.’