Taglioni, Marie. (1804–1884) [Alophe, Menuet. (1812–1883)]
Original 1838 Portrait Lithograph
Paris: Imprimerie Aubert et Cie. [1838]. Early M. Alophe portrait of the famous Italian ballerina of the Romantic ballet era, a central figure in the history of European dance. Lithograph on wove paper, published as part of the Galerie de la Presse series by Imp. Aubert et cie, 1838. Mild rippling to sheet, with small tear to lower margin, else fine. Plate 6.75 x 9 inches (17.1 x 22.9 cm.); sheet 8.15 x 10.75 inches (20.7 x 27.3 cm.)."In her father’s ballet La Sylphide, introduced at the Paris Opéra, March 12, 1832, she became one of the first women to dance on the extreme tips, or points, of the toes; she created a new style marked by floating leaps, such balanced poses as the arabesque, and a delicate, restrained use of the points. The diaphanous dress she wore in La Sylphide...was the prototype of the tutu, the full, light skirt that, in various lengths, has remained the accepted uniform of the classical dancer for more than a century. Not only did she have Paris at her feet but audiences in London, Milan, Vienna, Berlin, and St. Petersburg hailed her as one of the greatest dancers ballet had ever produced." (Britannica)
In 1838, after her last seasonal appearance in Russia, Taglioni went on to London for a season at Her Majesty's Theatre at the time of Queen Victoria's coronation. Her first performance was a pas de deux with Antonio Guerra in Parisina. It was labeled the pas des diamants because of the quantity of Russian jewels she wore on stage. She danced her newly learned mazurka (Fanny Elssler reputedly saw it!) and presented Miranda for her London benefit. The new ballet lasted an even shorter time than it had in St. Petersburg. Of iconographic importance this summer was the Paris publication of a portrait in the series Galerie de la Presse (May 29, 1838). It appeared again, when the series was reissued in one volume in January 1839. Like the Belliard lithograph of her in the previous year, it has an excellent likeness. Literature: Edwin Binney, Longing for the Ideal: Images of Marie Taglioni in the Romantic Ballet, pp. 127. (20504)
Unsigned Photo/Portrait Dance