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Duvelleroy


Duvelleroy is a fan maker and leather goods manufacturer founded in Paris, France in 1827 by Jean-Pierre Duvelleroy. It is one of the rare French fan makers still in existence today.

For centuries, Paris had been the capital of haute couture, high-class jewellery, and fan-making, but in 1827 the city possessed no more than fifteen fan-makers. Yet it was at that precise moment that Jean-Pierre Duvelleroy chose to establish his own fan house in Paris. At 25 years old, he was convinced that this small accessory, which had gone out of fashion after the French Revolution, might become fashionable once again. The demand for fans in South America, which was at the time the primary export market for French fan makers, helped him to start his business.

Two years later, a special event was to bring him luck: a ball given by the Duchess of Berry at the Tuileries Palace in March 1829. For the quadrille the women sported fans. A single dance did it all: once again, fans were back.

The house opened a boutique at 15, rue de la Paix, while its ateliers were established at 17, passage des Panoramas in Paris. Duvelleroy had chosen the Place Vendome neighbourhood at the right moment: it was undergoing major changes and would soon become the centre of luxury wares and high-class jewellery.

To produce fan sticks and guards from precious wood, horn, mother of pearl, ivory or tortoise shell, Jean-Pierre Duvelleroy recruited the best stick makers (or ‘tabletiers’), who were traditionally based in the Oise region of France. For the leaves of his fans, he collaborated with the most sought-after engravers and painters, sometimes working with artists such as Ingres or Delacroix for exceptional pieces.

During twenty years, the founder of the House of Duvelleroy contributed to many fan related innovations and patents, never sparing his efforts to obtain recognition for the profession. In 1851, willing to defend his vision of the craft, he wrote a letter to Nathalis Rondot, who recorded the fan section at the 1851 Great Exhibition in London. That same year, Duvelleroy was awarded the prize medal at The Crystal Palace. From then on, the house would receive many gold medals for its craftsmanship. The Duvelleroys father and son would each be President of the Syndicate of Fan makers. On this account, both received the Légion d’Honneur, the Greatest Order of Merit for in France.


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