Ballet Graces
1850
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1850
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Ballet Graces is a 1850 by J. Follit, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This print shows a ballet dancer from the mid-1800s. It’s part of a series, not based on a real dancer—just the idea of one. The look stuck around because the style was so clear: tight hair, low-cut bodice, layers of tulle skirt. Popular prints like this shaped how people picture ballet dancers even today. Check out more at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
The print depicts a ballet dancer posed en pointe on her right leg, with her left leg extended and her body turned to the right, her arms outstretched and head inclined in the same direction. Her hair is styled tightly at the back with a floral adornment, and she wears a short-sleeved black bodice with a pointed front, lace trim, and small tassels, paired with a diaphanous, knee-length skirt edged in pale grey. The scene is set against a mountainous landscape with a lake in the background, and the print’s corners are cut. The work is part of a 145-piece dance print collection assembled by…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Mid-19th-century prints of ballet dancers in graceful poses, titled Ballet Graces, line up in numbered sheets.
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