What country do you think this hand fan came from?

When do you think it was made?

What is the story behind the design images?

This hand fan came from the Philippines! It was manufactured in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, and it was made out of paper and wood.

It was made in the 1930s. It was sold at The Aguinaldo Department Store, one of the Philippines' largest department stores, which were a prominent fixture of Filipino cityscapes before the advent of shopping malls in the 1960s. The images incorporated into the design are sundry items for sale at Aguinaldo's, which itself is pictured in the central oval inset.

For more information, visit:

• This artifact in the Karshner Digital Collections
• Artifact Worksheets you can use in your classroom or for homeschool
• "Where Did Filipinos Go Before There Were Malls in Metro Manila?"
• The Philippines: Historical Overview
• 20 Beautiful Old Manila Buildings That No Longer Exist