Fanny Elssler in La Tarentule
1840
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1840
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Fanny Elssler in La Tarentule is a 1840 by Jules Bouvier, a Romanticism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This print shows a dancer named Fanny Elssler performing in a ballet called *La Tarentule* in 1840. It’s a Romantic-era work about a folk tale where a spider’s bite causes wild dancing. Elssler holds castanets, not usually part of this Italian dance, blurring cultural lines. The scene mixes energy and control—fast steps but poised posture. Flower sprays on the floor mark admiring fans. The print captures the moment’s tension between heat and restraint. See more prints by Bouvier, Jules.
The image depicts Fanny Elssler performing in *La Tarentule*, a ballet inspired by the tarantella dance and its associated folklore. She is shown in a dynamic pose, turning with one foot raised and castanets in hand, her costume featuring a white blouse, green bodice, and bell-shaped skirt. A floral headband adorns her hair, and scattered flower sprays on the ground suggest audience tributes. The backdrop includes a ruined Greek temple and a rustic mill, evoking a romanticized theatrical setting.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Jules Bouvier made 19th-century lithographs that turned leading ballet dancers into star prints.
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