Celeste as the Arab boy
6
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
6
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Celeste as the Arab boy is a 6 by William Drummond, a Romanticism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This print shows a stage scene set in a French Army camp. It features Céleste, a famous French dancer and actress, in the role of Hamet, a mute Arab boy. The print highlights her expressive dancing and mime skills. It was made the year after her big hit play, Victoire!, opened in London. Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum next.
The hand-colored lithograph depicts Madame Céleste performing as the Arab Boy in the 1837 military drama *Victoire!*, shown in the opening camp scene with Constantina in the background. She wears a white dress with blue stripes and plays a musical instrument atop a mountain, emphasizing her expressive dance and mime. Produced as a costly souvenir before photography, the print reflects the dancer’s popularity in London and New York. The work is part of a 20th-century collection assembled by Marie Rambert and Ashley Dukes, later donated to the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Read the full account in the museum source.
William Drummond made hand-colored prints in the 1830s, blending portraiture with traveler’s tales.
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