Research Catalog

Title

Le Ranelagh [graphic] : aristocratique polka du jeudi, dansée par Mr. Arthur de St. Léon, et Mme. Olympe de Ste. Bréda.

Author

Vernier, Charles, 1831-1887.

Publication

[Paris] : Aubert & Cie., [184-? or later]

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

Saint-Léon, Arthur, 1821-1870.

Description

1 print : lithograph, hand-colored; 34 x 24 cm.

Summary

Depiction of a dancing couple at a public ball. Though well-dressed, they do not wear the elegant evening attire seen in images of high society functions. In the background are a woman in a bonnet, a more sketchily rendered man, and a pair of arched and draped doorways filled with shadowy figures.

Series Statement

Physionomies des bals publics ; 12

Subjects

• Ballroom dancing > France > 19th century
• Polka (Dance)
• Lithographs

Genre/Form

Lithographs.

Note

• Caption title.
• The series Physionomies des bals publics is attributed to Charles Vernier in Béraldi, Henri, Les graveurs du XIXe siècle: guide de l'amateur d'estampes modernes, Paris, L. Conquet, 1892, p. 224.
• Imp. d'Aubert & Cie.

Biography (note)

• The polka enjoyed enormous popularity both as a dance and a musical form. Although opinions about its origins differ, it is believed to have roots in Poland or Bohemia. It was brought to Prague in 1837 and made its way to Vienna, St. Petersburg, Paris, and London. Capitalizing on its growing popularity as a ballroom dance, Jules Perrot and Carlotta Grisi introduced it to the ballet stage in 1844. In the mid 1800s, it rivalled the waltz as a dance craze. It has survived into the twenty-first century, and until 2009 was included as a category in the Grammy Awards.
• The caption's reference to "Mr. Arthur de St. Léon" probably signifies the multi-talented Arthur Saint-Léon, a dancer, violinist, choreographer, teacher, ballet master, composer, and the inventor of a system of dance notation known as Stenochorégraphie.
• Charles Vernier, a French printmaker and painter, was famed for his caricatures and cartoons, many of which appeared in the satirical journal Le Charivari, an illustrated newspaper published in Paris from 1833 to 1937.

Call Number

*MGZFX Ver C Ran 1

OCLC

825554906

Author

Vernier, Charles, 1831-1887. Attributed name

Title

Le Ranelagh [graphic] : aristocratique polka du jeudi, dansée par Mr. Arthur de St. Léon, et Mme. Olympe de Ste. Bréda.

Imprint

[Paris] : Aubert & Cie., [184-? or later]

Series

Physionomies des bals publics ; 12

Biography

The polka enjoyed enormous popularity both as a dance and a musical form. Although opinions about its origins differ, it is believed to have roots in Poland or Bohemia. It was brought to Prague in 1837 and made its way to Vienna, St. Petersburg, Paris, and London. Capitalizing on its growing popularity as a ballroom dance, Jules Perrot and Carlotta Grisi introduced it to the ballet stage in 1844. In the mid 1800s, it rivalled the waltz as a dance craze. It has survived into the twenty-first century, and until 2009 was included as a category in the Grammy Awards.

The caption's reference to "Mr. Arthur de St. Léon" probably signifies the multi-talented Arthur Saint-Léon, a dancer, violinist, choreographer, teacher, ballet master, composer, and the inventor of a system of dance notation known as Stenochorégraphie.

Charles Vernier, a French printmaker and painter, was famed for his caricatures and cartoons, many of which appeared in the satirical journal Le Charivari, an illustrated newspaper published in Paris from 1833 to 1937.

Local Note

Cataloging funds provided by Friends of Jerome Robbins Dance Division.

Connect to:

NYPL Digital Collections

Added Author

Saint-Léon, Arthur, 1821-1870. Associated name

Research Call Number

*MGZFX Ver C Ran 1