The Russian ballet.
Dame Ellen Terry (1847 - 1928)
Category
Books
Date
1913
Materials
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Smallhythe Place, Kent
NT 3118923
Caption
For the ‘Queen of Theatre’ Dame Ellen Terry, (1847-1928) dance and movement were integral to the craft of acting. Her 1913 book on the Ballets Russes, was one of the first to be published about the itinerant and hugely significant company, founded in Paris in 1909 by Russian impresario Sergei Diaghilev. Widely considered the most influential ballet company of the 20th century, Diaghilev revolutionised performance dance with his artistic collaborations, bringing together the young and talented from across the arts. Alongside leading choreographers and dancers, he commissioned composers such as Igor Stravinsky, Claude Debussy, and Sergei Prokofiev and a range of artists and designers including Vasily Kandinsky, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Léon Bakst and Coco Chanel to create vibrant, colourful costumes and scene design. Touring Europe and America with his revolutionary company, he wowed audiences with his ground breaking theatrical spectacles. Around the time this book was published, critics began discerning the influence of the Ballets Russes in contemporary Shakespearean productions in which Ellen performed as part of the famous Lyceum Theatre group in London with fellow actor Henry Irving. The book’s illustrations were provided by the artist Pamela Colman Smith (1878 - 1951), nicknamed ‘Pixie’ by Terry and taken under her wing while she worked on the theatre company’s costume and stage design.
Summary
Bibliographic description
52, [2] p. . ill.., [20] plates . 28cm.. Provenance: Inscribed in ink on front free-endpaper: 'Ellen Terry 1913'. - Some markings and comments. Binding: Publisher's red cloth binding, black-lettered.
Makers and roles
Dame Ellen Terry (1847 - 1928) Pamela Colman Smith (Pimlico 1878 - Bude 1951)