Artwork
Ballet Beauties No 2.
Ballet Beauties No 2. is a print by Aubril. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Ballet Beauties No 2 is a mid‑19th‑century print that belongs to a series depicting generic ballet dancers.
About this work
Overview
Ballet Beauties No 2 is a mid‑19th‑century print that belongs to a series depicting generic ballet dancers. The image does not portray a specific performer; instead it captures the prevailing visual idea of a ballerina as it was imagined in the 1840s and reproduced in the 1870s.
Subject & Meaning
The figure is presented as a dancer in a Spanish‑inspired routine, signaled by the inclusion of castanets and a rose tucked into her hair. These accessories transform the generic ballet pose into a fleeting stage vignette that suggests a lively, exotic performance.
Technique & Style
The dancer is rendered in the characteristic silhouette of the era: a low‑cut, tightly fitted bodice, a layered skirt of tarlatan fabric that falls to the knee or calf, and a sheer overlay that gives a sense of lightness. The streamlined hair and stylised costume reflect the standardized visual vocabulary of ballet illustration of the period.
History & Provenance
Created as part of a commercial series of ballet prints, the work was issued in the 1870s but draws on visual conventions established in the 1840s. It was likely produced for popular consumption rather than for a specific patron, and it has circulated in print collections since its publication.
Context
During the mid‑19th century, ballet imagery became codified, with recurring costume elements that survived beyond changing fashions. Prints such as this one helped disseminate a uniform notion of the ballerina, reinforcing the cultural image of ballet that persists in contemporary visual memory.
Artist & collection
Artist
Aubril made small prints of ballet dancers in the late 1800s, when Paris stages were full of swirling skirts and gaslight glamour.
