The language of the fan:
When open, this fan shows a delicate spangle floral pattern with tulips, fleur-de-lis and curtain drapes at the sides. When you fold it halfway, it spells out “Vive Le Roi” – “long live the king” – and the middle ornament turns into a silhouette portrait of king Louis XVI. The colours are held in black, with gold decorations. This fan was a veiled way of mourning the king’s execution during the French Revolution, on January 21, 1793.
From British Museum, London (scans from the book “Fashion Victims”)
EY FATTY BOOM BOOM 