Mademoiselle Fanny Cerito
15
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
15
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
This print shows a ballet star in a famous role. Numa Blanc captured Fanny Cerrito’s first entrance as the water nymph Ondine, rising from the stage on a shell. The print documents a 1843 London show full of tricks and magic. The magic came from stage tech, not paint. Cerrito didn’t really float—she stood on a rising platform while waves hid the mechanics. Later scenes flew her across rocks into the sea. Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum.
