In the sixteenth century, and for a long subsequent period, Venice continued to be the principal emporium for supplying ostrich feathers to Europe, and in no country were they more extensively used than in England. At present England is the mart of the world for feathers; foreign manufacturers, therefore, must perforce come here to make their selections. It is this latter circumstance, doubtless, together with the universal popularity of the feather itself, which has occasioned their revival—some of the handsomest fans made at present being of that character. The æsthetic value of these fans, for the most part depends, no doubt, from considerations of cost, upon the beauty of the ostrich feather itself, the sticks being generally of plain ivory, tortoise-shell, horn, or bone—thus justifying the criticism passed upon one of the prize-winners at a competitive exhibition at Drapers’ Hall, that it was to the _ostrich_ that the prize ought really to go. Under no circumstances, however, could these folding-fans hope to vie with the magnificent rigid fans of the Elizabethan era, the form of these handles, apparently, offering better opportunities to the designer than do the radiating sticks of the folding-fan. If we might have feathers set in handles designed in the sumptuous manner of these early fans, well and good; if we could have the sticks of the _folding-fans_ more in keeping with the sumptuous nature of the feather, well also, though not quite so good; but the ever-present question of cost must always remain a determining factor. The feathers of other birds have also been, and are at present, employed for the purposes of the fan; in this connection the charming Chinese fan at South Kensington of the feathers of the Argus pheasant may be cited. (Illustrated facing p. 59.) [Illustration: Woodcock Feather Fan composed of 6250 feathers supplied by H.R.H. the Prince of Wales. H.R.H. the Princess of Wales.] The system of applied feather-work is referred to on a number of occasions in this work, several illustrations being given, notably the Chinese feather screens belonging to Mr. Crewdson, and the Queen Anne screen of Mr. Messel. The practice was common during the latter half of the eighteenth century, used both for fans and other purposes, and it was a favourite pastime with Mrs. Montague, who refers to it in one of her letters, dated 1785:—‘I am obliged to you for your kind attention to my feather-work. The neck and breast feathers of the stubble goose are very useful, and I wish your cook would save those of the Michaelmas goose for us. Things homely and vulgar are sometimes more useful than the elegant, and the feathers of the goose may be better adapted to some occasions than the plumes of the Phœnix.’ Thus Cowper, _On Mrs. Montagu’s Feather Hangings_: ‘The Birds put off their ev’ry hue, To dress a room for Montagu.’ Fashion has again, during recent years, adopted this system of feather decoration for fans.