Flore deplore l'absence de Zephyr

The image depicts Flore, the female lead of the ballet, expressing sorrow at the absence of Zephyr, her mythological wind-god partner. Rather than honoring the ballet’s romantic idealism, the print exaggerates her emotional display as absurdly theatrical. The satire targets the sentimental excesses of Romantic-era dance, using exaggerated gesture and facial expression to mock the genre’s emotional pretensions.

Executed as a hand-coloured engraving, the print employs fine line work and delicate washes to suggest texture and mood. The figures are rendered with caricatured proportions and expressive poses, typical of early 19th-century British satirical prints. The addition of colour enhances the theatricality, while the precision of the engraving underscores the work’s publication as a refined, if ironic, object of popular culture.

Created in 1836, the print was part of a series published in London during Thackeray’s early career, before his rise as a novelist. It was issued under the pseudonym Théophile Wagstaff to distance the author from the irreverent tone. The set was likely distributed as a novelty item among London’s literate middle class. The print is now held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, acquired as part of its broader holdings in graphic satire.

The print emerged during a period when London theatres were saturated with Romantic ballets, many featuring mythological themes and ethereal choreography. Thackeray’s series responded to the cultural dominance of Didelot’s Flore et Zéphire, which had drawn large audiences. His caricatures tapped into a growing appetite for humorous critiques of high art, positioning himself within a tradition of British visual satire that questioned artistic pretension.

Though little known today outside specialized collections, the series represents an early example of Thackeray’s satirical voice, foreshadowing his later literary critiques of social and cultural pretensions. The prints offer insight into the intersection of literature, theatre, and graphic art in Victorian England. As a preserved artifact of popular satire, they document how audiences engaged critically with the performing arts of their time.