Upcoming exhibitions

Eye-catcher - A collection of subjects from the 18th to 20th centuries

Exhibition from October 12th until December 29, 2024



In 2023, the German Textile Museum received a collection of 17 subjects from the period between the 18th and early 20th centuries as a donation. Made from different materials and decorated in different ways, these attractive accessories are a special addition to the existing collection of objects in the collection of the German Textile Museum. As culturally and historically valuable objects, fans have served several purposes in past centuries. In addition to the function of waving the air, the wearable objects used very close to the body were primarily seen as communication media in times in which a “culture of the gaze” dominated official and private gatherings and status, taste and prestige were expressed through clothing and gestures.

The DTM fan collection is characterized by a variety of materials, techniques and decoration methods used. In addition to ivory and tortoiseshell, there is wood and metal inlay for the sticks, as well as lace, silk, feathers and precious painting to decorate the leaves. The cultural history of the European subject from the 18th to 20th centuries can be explored using this collection as an example. Each fan tells its own story and is also a striking eye-catcher.  Curated by Jeanne Spriet, museum volunteer, we show the collection of subjects in an exhibition in conjunction with other textile objects from our collection.