This fan belonged to the extensive wardrobe of the two dolls, France and Marianne. The dolls were given - with a large collection of clothes and personal accessories (including motor cars) - to Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose (then aged 12 and 8 years respectively) at the time of the State Visit to France in July 1938 of their parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. This was the first State Visit undertaken by the King and Queen, following the coronation in May 1937. All the most famous couturiers and craftsmen then active in Paris collaborated in the provision of the dolls’ trousseaux. They were well aware that the gift would serve as a splendid advertisement for French fashion and handiwork. Outfits were provided for every occasion, from the morning walk to the yachting trip, from Ascot races to an evening reception. Duvelleroy provided four fans for the dolls’ wardrobe: two with paper leaves painted by Marie Laurencin (1885-1956), including this one; and two folding ostrich feather fans, one with blue feathers, the other with pink feathers. The original boxes for all four fans have survived, each with the trade stamp of Duvelleroy inside the lid. Other items were supplied by Worth, Lanvin, Vionnet, Vuitton, Hermès, Guerlain and Lancôme.

Following their arrival in England in November 1938, the dolls and their trousseaux were exhibited at St James’s Palace, in aid of The Princess Elizabeth of York Hospital for Children and a French charity. The dolls, with a selection of their clothing and accessories, are now on public view in the area alongside Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, at the entrance to the State Apartments in Windsor Castle.

The painter and designer Marie Laurencin specialised in the depiction of pretty young girls in soft pastel shades. She was the mistress of the art critic Guillaume Apollinaire, whose writings exercised such an influence on avant-garde poets and painters of the early twentieth century. Friendship with artists such as Picasso had a superficial influence on Laurencin’s charming works.

Signed and dated Marie Laurencin 1938

Text adapted from Unfolding Pictures: Fans in the Royal Collection 2005