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Dance in Art
M'lle. [Louise] Lamoureux, the celebrated danseuse [with accompanying article]
Unknown artist
- Dance:
- dance
- Collection:
- Prints depicting dance
- Source:
- nypl
- Rights:
- Public Domain
Lamoureux's image survives in this periodical as a record of mid-Victorian ballet celebrity and the Romantic repertoire that defined professional dancing in the 1840s-1850s. For historians of dance and of print culture, the page demonstrates how theatrical imagery was monetized and distributed, and how the ballerina's body—in its technical refinement and visual distinctiveness—became a commodity of popular entertainment.
What you are looking at
This is a page from Hallow's Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion, a Victorian illustrated periodical, containing both a substantial article on M'lle. Louise Lamoureux and four wood-engraved illustrations of the dancer in performance. The central upper image shows a crowded theatrical interior with elegant patrons seated and standing in tiered boxes and a pit, watching a performance on stage. The dancer commands the stage in a prominent pose, with an orchestra visible in the foreground. Three additional scenes show Lamoureux in different moments: one depicts an interaction with other performers in classical dress, another shows an energetic outdoor or garden scene with attendants, and the third captures what appears to be a dramatic moment of physical virtuosity or partnered movement. The engravings throughout employ the fine cross-hatching and tonal variation characteristic of 1840s-1850s wood-cut reproduction, with careful attention to costume detail—the dancer wears the short tutu and tights of classical ballet, with elaborate headdresses in some scenes.
The dancing
Lamoureux is depicted as a solo female dancer in a classical ballet frame: torso upright, one leg extended or in attitude, arms positioned with the refined carriage expected of Romantic-era prima ballerinas. In the grouped scenes, she dominates spatial composition through extension and verticality. The partnered images suggest supported ports de bras and possibly pirouette preparation, though the wood-engraving's precision does not resolve fine footwork. Her poses are consistently balletic rather than gestural or dramatic—the vocabulary is that of classical technique, executed by a body trained in turn-out and épaulement.
The dance depicted
Louise Lamoureux was a celebrated ballerina of the mid-nineteenth century, and these images document her in the Romantic ballet repertoire typical of that era—likely roles such as those in Giselle, La Sylphide, or similar narrative ballets in which she would have been cast as a principal dancer. The article (though not fully legible in this reproduction) evidently celebrates her technical accomplishment and fame. The variety of tableaux suggests the range of classical ballet vocabulary in performance: solo dancing, partnered support, and the theatrical narrative and pantomime elements that characterized mid-Victorian stage ballet. The presence of a full orchestra, elaborately dressed audience, and theatrical lighting indicates a work of significant production value.
How it was made
This is a wood engraving printed letterpress as part of a periodical page. The technique allowed fine detail and tonal variation through cross-hatching, enabling the circulation of theatrical imagery to middle-class readers who could not attend live performances. Wood engraving was the dominant technology for pictorial periodicals in Britain and North America from the 1840s through 1880s; it was faster and more durable than steel engraving but finer than lithography for halftone reproduction. The presence of integrated text and multiple images on a single page indicates this is editorial content—reportage of a celebrity performer—rather than fine art for a portfolio or gallery wall.
About this work
This page documents the Victorian ballet celebrity Louise Lamoureux through the medium of the illustrated periodical. It represents both a major theatrical venue (the elaborately appointed playhouse) and the technical and performing standards of mid-century Romantic ballet, as seen through the eyes of a commercial engraver working for a mass-circulation magazine. The work belongs in a gallery of dance art because it preserves a specific dancer's performance style and fame, captures the aesthetics of a historical dance form, and demonstrates how dance was circulated and consumed by a literate, affluent public through print media.
How to look at it
Note the formal architectural space that frames Lamoureux: the Victorian theatre interior with its ornamental railings, tiered seating, and proscenium arch creates a visual stage for a visual artist. Observe how the engraver has differentiated the dancer from the crowd through her central placement and the precision of her silhouette—her tutu and extended leg are rendered with particular clarity. Compare the four separate tableaux: they do not show a single narrative moment but rather a portfolio of the dancer's range and signature poses, a visual resume of virtuosity. The wood-engraving technique itself—with its stippled shadows and fine parallel lines—conveys the stage lighting of the period and the soft focus at which audiences actually saw the dancer from a distance.
The period
Louise Lamoureux performed during the height of the Romantic ballet era, when narrative ballets such as Giselle (premiered 1841) and La Sylphide established the aesthetic and technical standards that dominated European and North American stages. The mid-nineteenth century saw the professionalization of ballet criticism and the rise of the celebrity prima ballerina—Lamoureux was among many European dancers who toured extensively, appearing in major cities and generating newspaper and periodical coverage. Hallow's Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion (published from 1851 onwards) was one of the first mass-circulation illustrated periodicals in Britain, competing with The Illustrated London News and The Athenaeum for a growing readership of middle-class families. The inclusion of theatrical and artistic content, including dance, was central to these publications' appeal.
Where it lives
This page is held in the New York Public Library's Prints collection as part of its holdings of periodical and printed illustration. It is a page from an issue of Hallow's Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion, a weekly or monthly illustrated magazine aimed at educated middle-class readers in the English-speaking world.
Dance in this work
Questions about this work
Was Louise Lamoureux a famous dancer?
Yes. She was a celebrated prima ballerina of the mid-nineteenth century, known well enough that her performances warranted illustrated coverage in a major periodical and a dedicated article. She was part of the professional ballet world that emerged from Romantic ballet.
What style of ballet is she dancing?
Romantic ballet—the narrative, fantastical ballet style that dominated stages from the 1840s through 1870s. The tutu, the classical carriage, and the theatrical setting all confirm this aesthetic. She would have performed roles similar to those in Giselle or La Sylphide.
Why are there four different images of the same dancer?
Periodicals used multiple tableaux to showcase range and range and virtuosity. Together, they present a visual digest of Lamoureux's repertoire and skills—solo work, partnered dancing, and theatrical drama—allowing readers to understand her celebrity and accomplishment.
What was the audience for this image?
The readers of Hallow's Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion—educated, affluent, middle-class families in Britain and North America who enjoyed theatrical and artistic content but might not attend live performances. This periodical made theatre and celebrity accessible to readers at home.
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