Ribbon fans were a fashionable substitute to regular table fans in the 1930s. The polished base and streamlined top revealed a clear modern influence but the design was truly novel because of its fabric blades. These provided a draft equivalent to metal blades and - as the advertisement claimed - eliminated the ‘fear of gashed fingers’.

Ribbon Fan by A.E.G. India Electric Co. Ltd.: Advertisement in 1934 click to zoom in Courtesy: Abigail McGowan, University of Vermont