Called "an impressionist in plaster"1 because of the momentary poses and rich textures of her works, Bessie Potter Vonnoh made her reputation largely through small, graceful figures like this one. Virtually every aspect of The Fan's composition emphasizes movement. The woman's torso sways to the right, causing her draperies to cascade over one side of the base, revealing the tip of her shoe on the other. This fluid motion is continued in the feathered fan, held at an angle against her hip, and in the reflexive gesture with which the woman holds the top of her gown closed with one hand. From 1903 on, Vonnoh dressed her women in generalized, flowing robes related to ancient Greek tunics, rather than the clumsy and unflattering fashions of the day. This change also reflects Vonnoh's interest both in contemporary dance garb, specifically the unstructured, Greek-inspired costumes worn by the American modern dancer Isadora Duncan, and in the dress reform movement in the United States, which was attempting to liberate women from the unhealthful effects of the corset.

One of the most intriguing aspects of this sculpture is its extreme contrast between the carefully delineated textures of the draperies and fan and the woman's blurred, virtually featureless face. The addition of gleaming silver to the darker bronze further emphasizes this contrast.