Backstage at the Opera
Artist/Culture
Paul Gavarni
(French, 1804–1866)
Date1846
Mediumlithograph on Chine applique on white paper
Dimensions45.1 x 31.6 cm (17 3/4 x 12 7/16 in.)
ClassificationsPrints
Credit LineCharlotte E. W. Buffington Fund
Terms
Object number1993.43
DescriptionPlate No. 30 from, "Contemporary Artists."Label TextOver the course of the nineteenth century, the quality of classical ballet declined in France. The best dancers took rarified positions in Russia. The remaining dancers were plucked from modest means, receiving only mediocre training. Thereafter, ballerinas developed a reputation for salacious behavior, as Gavarni satirizes here. The Paris Opéra became a well-known venue for sexual liaisons. Some upper-class men attended the ballet simply to meet the dancers backstage. They were known as abonnés, or “subscribers.” The term “ballet-girl” remained a derogatory female slur in France until the mid-twentieth century.ProvenanceNicholas Richardson, P.O. Box 2242, Times Square Station, New York, NY 10108
On View
Not on view
Paul Gavarni
19th century
