The fan is inscribed by Joseph Needham '13/9/64'. It is a souvenir fan, with a printed traditional picture of a girl on one side, and calligraphy (possibly hand-written) on the other. Joseph Needham's inscription reads: [symbol for Dorothy and Joseph Needham] 杭州 13 九64 四十年紀念, meaning that this is a souvenir bought in Hangzhou on 13 Sep. 1964, the date of their 40th wedding anniversary.