The term Fancy Skating dates to the 1890’s, from a literary masterpiece titled,
Figure and Fancy Skating, by George A. Meagher, 1895, published by Bliss, Sands and Foster in London. This document was published in the beautiful era (la belle époque), and coincided with a beautiful era in the art of Figures and Fancy Skating.
Meagher chronicled the intricate cutting edge techniques that form the incredible foundation of Figures and Fancy Skating.
The name of the current World Figure and Fancy Skating Championships on black ice is named after this literary masterpiece and it unites world heritage: the triad of Art, Sport and Goodwill with iconic culture in modernity.
An original 1895 edition by George A. Meagher of Figure and Fancy Skating resides in World Figure Sport’s Archives and is still being studied today.
Here is a link to access a copy of the 1895 edition.
https://books.google.com/books/about/Figure_and_Fancy_Skating.html?id=iPMWAAAAYAAJ