El cariño: jarabe tapatio

What you are looking at

A single female figure stands centered against a pale turquoise ground, wearing a voluminous mid-nineteenth-century dress with a fitted bodice and full skirt that extends to mid-calf. The dress appears to be a day or indoor garment in a light fabric, with a white or cream-colored chemise visible at the neckline. Over her shoulders she wears a large dark shawl or rebozo, draped generously and caught at the sides, which falls almost to the hem of the skirt. Her dark hair is styled in the fashion of the 1830s–1850s, pulled back from her face. The figure stands in a relaxed, frontal pose with arms at her sides or lightly holding the shawl, facing the viewer directly. Her posture is upright but informal, suggesting a moment of everyday dress rather than theatrical performance. The simplicity of the composition and the pale background emphasize the figure and her costume.

The dancing

A single standing figure, likely female, shown full-length and frontal. The body is relaxed and still, without the turned-out positioning or lifted carriage typical of ballet. The arms hang naturally or are engaged with the shawl. There is no indication of mid-movement, turned positions, or the flexed engagement of trained dancers; the pose is that of a model displaying costume rather than executing choreography.

The dance depicted

The title identifies this as the jarabe tapatío—the Mexican Hat Dance or Cariño (Affection)—yet the image shows a static, posed figure in street or domestic dress rather than a scene of dancing. The jarabe tapatío is a Mexican folk dance, traditionally performed by a couple or pairs, marked by rapid footwork, rhythmic heel-and-toe work, and playful courtship movement. It is typically accompanied by guitars and violin. This print appears to document costume or character type rather than movement, suggesting it may be a theatrical or promotional image relating to the dance or a play featuring it, rather than a direct representation of the dance in action.

How it was made

A hand-colored lithograph or engraving, likely mid-nineteenth century, to judge from the printing technique and tonal qualities. The figure is rendered in restrained greens and browns over a carefully prepared pale ground, with fine line work defining the shawl and dress details. The inscription at the top and bottom are printed in the same pass. This is a commercial print—likely for theatrical promotion or costume reference—designed for wide circulation in Mexico and Spanish-speaking regions, and to reach audiences interested in folk costume and character types.

About this work

This is a costume study or theatrical character print titled after the jarabe tapatío, the famous Mexican folk dance. Rather than depicting the dance itself, it presents a single standing figure in the street costume and shawl of mid-nineteenth-century Mexico, posed for examination of garment construction and social dress. The print was likely made for theatrical use—as a reference for costume makers, a playbill, or promotional material—rather than as documentary evidence of the dance in performance. It belongs in a dance collection as a historical record of how the jarabe tapatío and Mexican folk culture were mediated through print culture and theater during the nineteenth century, when European and North American audiences were developing appetite for 'national' dance spectacles and exotic costume imagery.

How to look at it

Observe the construction of the costume—the proportion and cut of the full skirt, the drape of the heavy shawl, the fitted bodice—which tells us about the garment's function in daily life and in theatrical representation. Notice that the figure is not dancing: there is no suggestion of weight on one foot, no turned-out position, no lifted frame or engaged arms. The print documents what the dancer wore, not how she moved, and that distinction is important to understanding how dance traveled through visual culture.

The period

The jarabe tapatío emerged in Mexico in the late eighteenth century and became widespread in popular celebration and social dance by the early nineteenth century. During the 1830s–1850s, when this print was likely made, Mexican folk traditions were becoming fashionable in European salons and theaters, often filtered through Romantic-era interest in 'exotic' and 'national' culture. The dance was performed both in Mexico and abroad, and prints like this served multiple functions: documentation of costume, theatrical reference material, and souvenirs of Mexico for foreign audiences. The stylistic and sartorial conventions suggest a date in the second quarter of the nineteenth century.

Where it lives

This is part of the New York Public Library's collection of prints depicting dance. It belongs to the category of popular lithographs and engravings produced for theatrical, entertainment, and costume reference purposes during the nineteenth century.

Dance in this work

Questions about this work