an history stretches back thousands of years. Since antiquity, fans have possessed a dual function – a status symbol and a useful ornament. In the course of their development, fans have been made of a variety of materials and have included decorative artwork. The simplest fans are leaves or flat objects, waved to produce a cooler atmosphere. These rigid or folding hand-held implements have been used for cooling, for air circulation, as a ceremonial device, and as a sartorial accessory throughout the world from ancient times. They are still widely used.

The earliest known fans are called the 'screen fans' or 'fixed leaf fans'. These were manipulated by hand to cool the body, to produce a breeze, and to ward off insects. Such early fans usually took the form of palm leaves. Plumage of birds was used in fans, such as those of the Egyptians and Native American Indians, that had both practical and ceremonial uses.

In Rome, gilded and painted wooden fans were used. Roman ladies throughout the empire used circular fans. Chinese sources link the fan with mythical and historical characters. The earliest known Chinese fans are a pair of woven bamboo side-mounted fans from the 2nd century BC. The West's earliest fan is a flabellum (or ceremonial fan), which dates to the 6th century.  Hand fans were reintroduced to Europe in the 13th and 14th century.  Fans from the Middle East were brought back by Crusaders.  In the 15th century, Portuguese traders brought fans to Europe from China and Japan. Fans became generally popular.

Queen Elizabeth I of England can be seen carrying both folding fans decorated with pom poms on their guardsticks as well as the older style rigid fan, usually decorated with feathers and jewels. In the 18th century, fans reached a high degree of artistry and were being made throughout Europe often by specialized craftsmen.

Around the middle 1700s, inventors started designing mechanical fans. Wind-up fans (similar to wind-up clocks) were popular in the 1700s. In the 19th century in the West, European fashion caused fan decorations and sizes to vary.