Advertising fan for showman Albert Smith's long-running "lecture" on his ascent of Europe's tallest peak — a sensational example of capitalizing upon the early days of the alpinism craze.
Very good.
Price: $1,400.00
Less of a lecture and more of a one-man show, MR. ALBERT SMITH'S ASCENT OF MONT BLANC included elaborate sets, a panorama, and even songs. Inveterate showman Smith was quick to take advantage of the growing popularity of mountain climbing, riding the momentum of Erasmus Galton's summiting of Mont Blanc in 1850 with his own account of climbing the peak. Historian Erkki Huhtamo draws attention to the use of the paper fan programs in particular — alongside "folding paper roses [...], boxes of Nougat Glacé de Mont Blanc, a toy peepshow in the shape of the Egyptian Hall [...], and even a board game" — as an example of Smith's efforts to "signal professionalism" while also "spread[ing] Smith's image and mak[ing] extra money" (229). From the sets to the storytelling, the conceit of the show was indeed entirely based on illusion and embellishment; contrary to Smith's bombastic narrative, his traveling companions would later recall hauling a drunken Smith up to the summit of the titular mountain. But hey, that's showbiz.
This fan's purpose is fourfold: it acts as a program to Smith's "lecture," a visual aid for his route up the mountain, a functional souvenir, and an advertisement. Along with the various other ephemera cheaply sold at his shows, it enabled the audience to take a piece of the experience home with them. An attractive survival.
Read more: Erkki Huhtamo, Media Archaeology of the Moving Panorama and Spectacles.
Paris: Leroux, [between 1852 and 1858]. 9.25'' x 16'' (open); 9.25'' x.75'' (closed). Fan with 16 wooden sticks. Two-sided black-and-white pictorial printed leaf with green top edge. Leaf with a number of short closed tears and early paper repairs at a couple joints, mild toning and foxing. Sound.
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