Object Details
depicted
Kennedy, Robert F.
King, Jr., Martin Luther
Kennedy, John F.
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
Date made
1970
ID Number
CL.306787.33B
catalog number
306787.33B
accession number
306787
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
Data Source
National Museum of American History
religion association
Protestantism, Revivalism
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_214151