Fans of the Olden Days
Did people just accept the heat for what it was and sweat in it until ceiling fans existed? Of course not, at least not as far as the rich were concerned. This odd machine is actually a centuries-old ceiling fan.
This enormous curtain-like object, which is similar to today’s tiny hand fan, would be drawn up and down using a rope (and maybe a pulley system) to produce a draught. We suppose someone had to perform this task manually.