Artwork
The Pet of the Ballet.
The Pet of the Ballet. is a print by the Romanticist artist Robert Gallon. It dates from 1843 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. This print is part of a series of eight images depicting anonymous ballet dancers from the 1840s.
About this work
Overview
This print is part of a series of eight images depicting anonymous ballet dancers from the 1840s.
Subject & Meaning
The print focuses on a background dancer, often referred to as 'peris', 'nymphs', or 'sylphs' in programs, who provided a decorative backdrop for the principal ballerinas. Such dancers were nicknamed 'les petits rats' in Paris and 'les danseuses près de l'eau' in Russia.
Technique & Style
The artist adopted a slightly comedic and realistic style, diverging from the idealized representations common in 19th-century ballet prints.
Context
The title 'The Pet of the Ballet' may be derived from an operatic burlesque of the same name performed in London during the 1840s.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Robert Gallon made mid-1800s prints that sold as light entertainment. In 1843 he published five numbered sheets titled “The Pet of the Ballet,” tiny scenes of dancers and their pampered lap-dogs. These prints appear in…
