The cracovienne, danced by Madlle Fanny Elssler in the grand ballet of the Gypsey

What you are looking at

A young woman stands alone in an urban street, posed in a moment of stillness rather than active movement. She wears a mid-nineteenth-century dress with a fitted bodice and full skirt that falls to mid-calf, typical of the 1840s. Her posture is upright and composed, with her arms held at her sides in a formal stance. Behind her, a row of tall buildings with steep roofs and ornate windows creates a European townscape—the architecture suggests Central Europe, consistent with the title's reference to Cracow. The scene is rendered in careful lithographic shading that gives dramatic depth to the urban setting while the figure remains brightly lit, isolating her against the darker background. There is no suggestion of movement or partnering; instead, the image presents the dancer as a portrait subject in a recognisable place.

The dancing

The dancer's body is presented in formal stillness rather than in the midst of a step or turn. Her frame is upright, her arms relaxed at her sides or clasped before her. Her weight appears evenly distributed, and her legs are straight beneath the full skirt—there is no suggestion of weight transfer, lift, or the dynamic carriage that characterises active dance. The isolation of a single figure, posed rather than moving, was typical of theatrical portrait prints where the dancer is shown as a performer in costume rather than caught mid-performance.

The dance depicted

The title identifies this as 'The Cracovienne,' a Polish national dance that became a staple of Romantic-era ballet from the 1830s onward. The cracovienne was a vigorous, earthy couple-dance from Krakow, characterised by quick, springing steps and energetic partnering—yet this image shows Madlle Fanny Elssler alone and stationary, dressed for performance but not performing. This is a publicity portrait rather than a representation of the dance in motion. Elssler, one of the most celebrated dancers of the 1830s and 1840s, was known for her dramatic character dances and her rival status to Marie Taglioni in the ballet world. The cracovienne would have been a vehicle for her to display technical brilliance and nationalistic charm to audiences hungry for exotic European folk material filtered through the ballet aesthetic.

How it was made

This is a lithographic print, identifiable from the fine tonal gradation, the soft edges achieved through stone-based drawing, and the careful use of crayon-work visible in the skirt and architectural shading. The technique allowed for relatively rapid production and wide distribution—such theatrical portraits were commercial prints sold to audiences as souvenirs and collectibles, far cheaper and more accessible than paintings. The signature line at bottom suggests a named lithographer, though the identity is not clearly legible in this image. The print's circulation through shops and theatres made these images a primary way audiences encountered and remembered star dancers of the era.

About this work

This is a theatrical portrait lithograph commemorating Fanny Elssler's performance of the Cracovienne, a Polish national dance, in the context of a larger ballet called 'The Gypsey.' It dates to the 1840s and was produced in Philadelphia, suggesting either a tour stop or a commercial reprint for the American market. The image does not depict the dance in action; instead, it presents the famous dancer as a costumed figure in a recognisable place—a mode of theatrical portraiture that made stars visible and memorable to a broad public. The work belongs in a gallery of dance art because it documents how dance entered mass culture in the nineteenth century, not through action photographs or paintings of performance, but through prints that made the dancer's face, costume, and name circulate as commodities and cultural symbols.

How to look at it

Attend to the contrast between the dancer's formal stillness and the urban energy of the setting behind her. The lithographer chose not to capture a moment of movement but to present the dancer as a public figure—recognisable, posed, and available for consumption as an image. The architectural setting grounds her in a specific place (Cracow, or a viewer's imagination of it), while her stillness and direct vertical axis keep the focus on her costume and bearing. This is a portrait in the tradition of theatrical celebrity imagery, not a document of dance in motion.

The artist

The lithographer is not positively identified in the catalogue record, though the inscription indicates a named practitioner. The print was issued by John F. Ditman of Philadelphia, making this a product of the transatlantic trade in theatrical prints. Philadelphia was a major centre for lithographic production in the early nineteenth century, and theatrical portrait prints were a significant commercial genre. Without further research, the specific artist's practice cannot be detailed.

The period

The 1840s were the height of Romantic ballet, when dancers like Taglioni, Elssler, and Cerito dominated European and American stages. Nationalism and exoticism were fashionable both in ballet and in visual culture; choreographers and dancers mined European folk traditions for dramatic and technically showy material. The cracovienne fit perfectly into this appetite for authentic-seeming national dances made theatrical. At the same time, lithography had made theatrical portraiture a mass medium. Prints like this one were sold in theatre lobbies and bookshops, making famous dancers visible to audiences who might never see them perform and to those who wanted to own an image of the star they had witnessed on stage.

Where it lives

This print is held in the New York Public Library's collection of prints depicting dance. It was issued in Philadelphia by John F. Ditman, indicating it was a commercial product aimed at theatre audiences in America, possibly coinciding with or following Elssler's known tours to the United States.

Dance in this work

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