"Fanny Ellsler [sic] In The Shadow Dance" – Original 1846 Color Lithograph

Color lithograph of the legendary Austrian ballerina performing the Shadow Dance from the ballet Ondine. Elssler is shown on pointe, observing her shadow on the ground of the lake's moonlit shore. Printed ca. 1846 by American publishing firm Currier & Ives, the largest publisher of hand made lithographs of the period with over 7,000 images published in its seventy-three year history.  Bumps to corners, with several tears along the margins, scratches to image in upper left quadrant; otherwise good. 12.75 x 9.25 inches (32.4 x 23.5 cm.)

"The 'shadow dance' became the ballet's most famous image, celebrated in paintings and prints, which were avidly collected by Elssler's fans. Her spirited and sensuous dancing won her many male admirers, unlike the spiritual and ethereal performances of her great rival, Marie Taglioni, whose appeal was primarily to women.  This print, by the American Nathanial Currier, commemorates Elssler's huge popularity in America, where she toured in the early 1840s. She was so popular, that, according to legend, Congress agreed not to meet when she was dancing so that members could go to her performances." (Victoria & Albert Museum)

Ondine, ou La naïade is a ballet in three acts and six scenes with choreography by Jules Perrot, music by Cesare Pugni, and a libretto inspired by the novel Undine by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué. The ballet was first presented by the ballet of Her Majesty's Theatre, London on 22 June 1843. (20503)

---

Dance

Unsigned Photo/Portrait

Art

• Sold