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Dance in Art
Adele Grantzow [facsimile signature]
Unknown artist
- Dance:
- dance
- Collection:
- Prints depicting dance
- Source:
- nypl
- Rights:
- Public Domain
Adele Grantzow was one of the most admired ballerinas of the Romantic era, and this portrait is visual documentation of how she was presented to her public. The dress, posture, and production of the print all reveal the professional standards and promotional machinery of mid-Victorian ballet.
What you are looking at
A three-quarter-length portrait of a young woman seated in profile, gazing to the left. She wears a dark Victorian-era dress with a fitted bodice adorned with intricate lace or beaded detailing at the shoulders and chest, and a voluminous skirt with pronounced vertical pleating that extends to the floor. The skirt's architectural folds create a fan-like silhouette typical of 1870s ballroom costume. She sits upright on a chair with a turned wooden back, her posture formal and composed. The background is plain and neutral, rendered in soft tones that emphasize the figure. A facsimile signature in flowing script appears below the portrait, identifying the subject. The print shows fine engraving technique with careful attention to the texture of fabric and the modeling of the face through hatching.
The dancing
The sitter maintains an upright, dignified posture characteristic of mid-Victorian portraiture. Her shoulders are pulled back, her head held high and turned slightly away from the viewer, a pose that conveys both grace and reserve. The arm visible to the viewer rests naturally, while the other is suggested behind the voluminous skirt. Her posture suggests the trained bearing of a professional performer—the spine straight, the carriage controlled and intentional. There is no active dancing gesture, but rather the composed stillness of a portrait taken between performances.
The dance depicted
This is a portrait of Adele Grantzow, a celebrated ballerina of the Romantic era, likely created during her active performance years in the 1860s-1870s. The subject is identified by signature, and the dress is consistent with the costume of a prima ballerina of that period—the fitted bodice and pleated skirt are typical of stage costume for classical ballet. This is not a scene of dancing, but rather a promotional or commemorative portrait, a common format for circulating the image of celebrated dancers to the public. The ballroom-scale interior and the balletic proportions of the dress establish her profession.
How it was made
This is an engraving or lithographic print, created from an original artwork (likely a photograph or oil painting). The fine hatching, careful tonal gradations, and the signature printing style indicate a wood or steel engraving, a technique suited to wide distribution. The print's formal inscription and the facsimile signature suggest this was a commercial product—a popular print sold to audiences and admirers. The technique allowed for relatively inexpensive mass production, making images of famous performers accessible to the theater-going public.
About this work
This is a professional portrait of the ballerina Adele Grantzow, a major figure in the Romantic ballet tradition, captured in the dress and style of the 1870s. It is not a depiction of dance in action but rather a commemorative image circulated to promote and memorialize a celebrated performer. The work belongs in a dance archive as evidence of how Romantic-era ballet was marketed, costumed, and presented to the public, and as a record of a significant historical dancer whose career shaped the aesthetics of the period.
How to look at it
Look at the construction of the dress: the fitted bodice and the controlled, vertical pleating of the skirt demonstrate the precision of Romantic-era ballet costume. The engraver has taken care to show the texture of the lace and the architectural quality of the skirt's folds, which would have been essential to the dancer's line and silhouette on stage. The seated, composed pose is typical of portraiture, but note the trained carriage of the spine and the deliberate placement of the hands—the stillness is itself a form of professional bearing. The print's fine detail and formal composition signal that this was a prestigious image, intended for framing and display.
The artist
The artist is not recorded in the catalogue. The print is signed by a lithographer or engraver whose name appears in small script at the bottom, but this is not legible in the image. The work was produced for commercial distribution, possibly by a London or Paris print house, as Grantzow performed extensively in both cities.
The period
Adele Grantzow was active from the 1860s through the 1880s, performing during the later Romantic period when ballet was transitioning from the ethereal, otherworldly aesthetic of mid-century ballets like *Giselle* and *La Sylphide* toward the more technically demanding, spectacle-driven productions of the late Victorian era. The 1870s saw a flourishing of commercial portraiture and lithographic reproduction, allowing images of famous performers to circulate widely. This print belongs to a broader Victorian culture of celebrity and fandom around theatrical performers.
Where it lives
This work is held in the New York Public Library's Prints collection, which documents theater history and celebrity culture through commercial and promotional imagery. The object is a printed reproductive engraving or lithograph, part of a tradition of mass-produced portraits of celebrated performers.
Dance in this work
Questions about this work
Who was Adele Grantzow?
Adele Grantzow was a celebrated Romantic-era ballerina, active from the 1860s to the 1880s. She performed extensively in London and across Europe and was known for her technical skill and dramatic presence. She created roles in several important ballets and was a major box-office attraction of her time.
What is the dress she is wearing?
The dress is a mid-Victorian stage costume for classical ballet, featuring a tightly fitted bodice with decorative beading or lace and a floor-length skirt with pronounced vertical pleating. This silhouette was standard for Romantic and late-Victorian ballet, designed to show off the dancer's line and allow for freedom of movement.
Is she dancing in this portrait?
No, this is a seated portrait in profile, not a depiction of dance in motion. It is a promotional or commemorative image, the kind that would have been sold to the public and hung in homes as a memento of seeing a celebrated performer.
Why is this image in a dance archive?
This portrait is valuable as historical evidence of how Romantic-era ballet was costumed, presented, and promoted. It documents the professional standards and public image of a major dancer and shows how the theater industry used printed portraiture to build celebrity and maintain fan engagement.
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