As Devon mentioned:
The Esther Oldham fan collection is in the collection of the Wellesley,
Massachusetts Historical Society. I believe they had an exhibit of it a
few years back.
I think it was back in May, 2002 when the New England Lace Group visited
the historical museum in Wellesley & we demonstrated lacemaking on the
front lawn. Rosemarie Peel who was living in Connecticut that year wrote
an article in LACE #108.
Shortly after that visit I found & purchased a 2nd hand copy of
Anna Gray Bennett's book "Unfolding Beauty - The Art of the Fan"
which is a record of an exhibition of the same name at the Museum of
Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts in 1988 (March 9th - June 5th).
This book says :
"she was publishing articles on her specialty in such magazines as "The
Connoisseur" and "Antiques". In more than forty articles she gave a
growing interest group information regarding fine points of fans and fan
collecting. Perhaps her greatest contribution resulted from her
investigation of the American fan factories operating in Massachusetts
in the 19th century, which appear in "The Antiques Journal" (August &
September 1953) and "Spinning Wheel" (January-February & March 1972)."
I hope this helps, in your search, Lorri.
Interestingly, "In 1976, when her collection had grown to over a
thousand fans, she offered it to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston,
which accepted more than four hundred. Others went to the Peabody Museum
in Salem, the Braintree Historical Society, and Old Sturbridge Village."
Esther Oldham was not just a collector of fans but she was also a tatter.
We viewed her tatting workbooks & as well as some beautiful lace that
was at the Museum.
Warm regards from
Pene in cold snowy Tartu, Estonia
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