17 replies to this topic

[rg]

the following listing, taken from NYPL for Perf Arts Dance Coll. of a portfolio of Russian ballet caricatures by N. Legat, notes the number known to amount to as many as 95 different dancers. As noted here NYPL has an incomplete portfolio, missing some nine plates.
my little sample here comes to 6 plates and a cover of the Legat brothers.

Legat, Nikolai Gustavovich, 1869-1937.
Russkii balet v karikatura. Br. N. S. Legat.
[St. Petersburg, 1902-05. 86] col. plates. 34 cm.
Title from portfolio.
Plate [1] is a caricature of Nikolai and Sergei Legat, with the Russian inscription, Br. N. i S. Legat, and the French inscription, Frères N. et S. Légat, and N. Legat's autograph presentation to Lavrush Novikovu: Ot odnogo iz avtorov etikh karrikatur, N. Legata, milomu Lavrush Novikovu, na pamiat' obo mikh. N. Legat. 1930 13 Mai London. (From one of the authors of these caricatures, N. Legat, to dear Lavrush Novikov, to remember me by. N. Legat. May 13, 1930, London.
Library of Congress copy has 95 plates. Beaumont and Niles list 94 plates, Magriel lists 92.
This set lacking: A. I. Chekrigen; E. P. Eduardova; L. N. Egorova; E. V. Geltser; Kh. P. Iohanson (Johanson); T. P. Karsavina; V. I. Masolova; A. P. Pavlova; V. A. Trefilova.
Full-page caricatures in color of artists of the Imperial Russian Ballet, with subject's name in Russian in lower left-hand corner and transliterated in lower right-hand corner.
CONTENTS.--[no. 1] Frères N. et S. Legat.--[no. 2] N. Aistow.--[no. 3] M. Alexandroff.--[no. 4] S. Andrianoff.--[no. 5] L. Aouer.--[no. 6] I. Asline.--[no. 7] S. Astaphieve.--[no. 8] N. Bakerkina.--[no. 9] N. Berguer.-- [no. 10] A. Bekefy.--[no. 11] L. Borhardt.--[no. 12] A. Boulgakoff.--[no. 13] A. Chiriaew.--[no. 14] P. Constantinow.--[no. 15] A. Coppini.--[no. 16] I. De-Lazari.--[no. 17] R. Drigo.--[no. 18] M(ikhail) Fokin.--[no. 19] A. Fonareva.-- [no. 20] N. Gawlikowski.--[no. 21] P. Gerdt.--[no. 22] E. Gontcharowa.--[no. 23] A. Gorsky.--[no. 24] Henriette Grimaldi.--[no. 25] S. Hillert.--[no. 26] L. Ivanoff.--[no. 27] A. Johanson.--[no. 28] I. Kaffy.--[no. 29] A. Kamichew.-- [no. 30] T. Kassatkina.--[no. 31] M. Kchécinskaja.--[no. 32] F. Kchécinsky.--[no. 33] I. Kchesinsky II.--[no. 34] L. Kjakcht.--[no. 35] G. Kiakscht.--[no. 36] I. Kloustine.--[no. 37] K. Koulitchevsky.--[no. 38] E. Kouskowa.--[no. 39] M. Konetskaja.-- [no. 40] E. Léer.--[no. 41] E. Legat.--[no. 42] Nicolas Legat.--[no. 43] Serge Legat.--[no. 44] Pierina Legnani.--[no. 45] O. Leonova.--[no. 46] O. Levenson.--[no. 47] N. Litz.--[no. 48] E. Lopouhowa.--[no. 49] S. Loukianow.-- [no. 50] E. Makarove.--[no. 51] E. Makhotina.--[no. 52] N. Matvéewa.--[no. 53] L. Nesterovskaia.--[no. 54] E. Obouchowa.--[no. 55] M. Obouhow.--[no. 56] E. Ofizierove.--[no. 57] A. Ourakowa.--[no. 58] W. Pavlowa.--[no. 59] G. Pedder.-- [no. 60] P. Péréiaslawyew.--[no. 61] M(arie) Petipa.--[no. 62] M(arius) Petipa.--[no. 63] E. Poliakowa.--[no. 64] O. Preobrajenskaia.--[no. 65] S. Repina.--[no. 66] V. Rihliakowa.--[no. 67] O. Rosenfeldt.--[no. 68] L. Roslavlewa.--[no. 69] E. Sasonowa.-- [no. 70] J. Sedova.--[no. 71] N. Sergeiew.--[no. 72] A. Slantzowa.--[no. 73] E. Snetkowa.--[no. 74] W. Soliannikoff.--[no. 75] B. Stoukolkine.--[no. 76] M. Tatarinowa.--[no. 77] E. Tcheketti.--[no. 78] M. Tcheketti.--[no. 79] O. Tchoumakowa.-- [no. 80] T. Tcherniavsky.--[no. 81] W. Tichomiroff.-- [no. 82] A. Waganowa.--[no. 83] A. Wassiliewa.--[no. 84] M. Wolf-Israel.--[no. 85] E. Zabelle.--[no. 86] P. Zalisson

Attached Files

•  _frlegatz.JPG   237.58KB   207 downloads

[rg]

two more legat plates:
M.F. Kshessinska
P. Legnani

Attached Files

•  _mfk.JPG   103.78KB   193 downloads
•  _llgnani.JPG   102.97KB   192 downloads

[rg]

Marius Petipa & Marie Petipa

Attached Files

•  _mip.JPG   104.34KB   178 downloads
•  _mmp.JPG   107.59KB   171 downloads

[rg]

Lev Ivanov & Enrico Cecchetti

Attached Files

•  _leviv.JPG   111.26KB   152 downloads
•  _echktti.JPG   111.71KB   161 downloads

[jllaney]

These are wonderful. Thank you. Can anyone translate the standard in Petipa's hand?
Thanks.

[Mel Johnson]

And there were ones he did later, when he was in England, and did dancers like Ana Roje.

(PS. the standard says "Petersburg Ballet".)

[sandik]

Oh, these are just wonderful, with diamond earrings the size of golf balls, and Cecchetti as a grasshopper! Many, many thanks for posting these here!!

[Paul Parish]

so fantastic!!
wicked. What a talent!

I think Tudor must have seen the Legnani one, it's so close to the Italian ballerina in Gala perf...

And the faces! I knew from the THUMBNAIL that that was Legnani.

[rg]

perhaps this should be a separate thread, but i too have often wondered just what RUSSIAN ballerinas of this 'grand manner' tudor might specifically be aiming at. i wonder if these legat depictions affected him as much or more than having seen whatever russian emigre ballerinas he saw first hand.

[Mel Johnson]

I had an awful feeling that there was a lot of Serafina Astafieva in the Russian ballerina. Beaumont tells of her greeting the milkman in a red brocade dressing-gown, her hair upswept into a turban, and already with the jewelry at breakfast! It got so that he wouldn't come to that house alone! "Ah, Dollink! How good of you to come!"

[silvy]

After finishing reading "Dancing in Petersburg" by Kchessinskaya, I really love the one about Mathilda... (her Esmeralda with the tambourine, the goat, and all cover in jewelry).... what a wit!!!!!

[rg]

fyi: imperial cards of kshessinska and marie p. in roles chosen by legat as somehow 'key' to their respective careers.
left: MFK is shown as Esmeralda, sans Djali, the goat.
MMP is shown in what i take to be one of the dances papa P. devised for her for the maryinsky's production of bizet's CARMEN.

Attached Files

•  MFRlaE.JPG   33.77KB   147 downloads
•  MMPcrmn.JPG   23.13KB   136 downloads

[carbro]

Thanks, rg. What fun!

Except . . .
Looking at the photo of Mlle Petipa, I can't find the golf-ball sized diamonds!

[moya vahey]

As chairman of the Legat Foundation I was very interested to read you coments on the Legat caricatures.
The Legat Foundation is a registered charity,the purpose is to preserve Nicolas Legat's system of ballet,making available to students a wealth of archival literature, carictures and photograhs.

The archives can be found at The Lawrence Batley centre for Naional Arts Education Archive, Bretton Hall,Leeds, Yorkshire.
We also have a website, www.legat-russian-ballet.co.uk. there is problem with it but you should be able to open it.
I would be interesting to know how the NYPL got copies of so many of the caricatues.

peter@beynon65.fsnet.co.uk

[moya vahey]

the following listing, taken from NYPL for Perf Arts Dance Coll. of a portfolio of Russian ballet caricatures by N. Legat, notes the number known to amount to as many as 95 different dancers. As noted here NYPL has an incomplete portfolio, missing some nine plates.
my little sample here comes to 6 plates and a cover of the Legat brothers.

Legat, Nikolai Gustavovich, 1869-1937.
Russkii balet v karikatura. Br. N. S. Legat.
[St. Petersburg, 1902-05. 86] col. plates. 34 cm.
Title from portfolio.
Plate [1] is a caricature of Nikolai and Sergei Legat, with the Russian inscription, Br. N. i S. Legat, and the French inscription, Frères N. et S. Légat, and N. Legat's autograph presentation to Lavrush Novikovu: Ot odnogo iz avtorov etikh karrikatur, N. Legata, milomu Lavrush Novikovu, na pamiat' obo mikh. N. Legat. 1930 13 Mai London. (From one of the authors of these caricatures, N. Legat, to dear Lavrush Novikov, to remember me by. N. Legat. May 13, 1930, London.
Library of Congress copy has 95 plates. Beaumont and Niles list 94 plates, Magriel lists 92.
This set lacking: A. I. Chekrigen; E. P. Eduardova; L. N. Egorova; E. V. Geltser; Kh. P. Iohanson (Johanson); T. P. Karsavina; V. I. Masolova; A. P. Pavlova; V. A. Trefilova.
Full-page caricatures in color of artists of the Imperial Russian Ballet, with subject's name in Russian in lower left-hand corner and transliterated in lower right-hand corner.
CONTENTS.--[no. 1] Frères N. et S. Legat.--[no. 2] N. Aistow.--[no. 3] M. Alexandroff.--[no. 4] S. Andrianoff.--[no. 5] L. Aouer.--[no. 6] I. Asline.--[no. 7] S. Astaphieve.--[no. 8] N. Bakerkina.--[no. 9] N. Berguer.-- [no. 10] A. Bekefy.--[no. 11] L. Borhardt.--[no. 12] A. Boulgakoff.--[no. 13] A. Chiriaew.--[no. 14] P. Constantinow.--[no. 15] A. Coppini.--[no. 16] I. De-Lazari.--[no. 17] R. Drigo.--[no. 18] M(ikhail) Fokin.--[no. 19] A. Fonareva.-- [no. 20] N. Gawlikowski.--[no. 21] P. Gerdt.--[no. 22] E. Gontcharowa.--[no. 23] A. Gorsky.--[no. 24] Henriette Grimaldi.--[no. 25] S. Hillert.--[no. 26] L. Ivanoff.--[no. 27] A. Johanson.--[no. 28] I. Kaffy.--[no. 29] A. Kamichew.-- [no. 30] T. Kassatkina.--[no. 31] M. Kchécinskaja.--[no. 32] F. Kchécinsky.--[no. 33] I. Kchesinsky II.--[no. 34] L. Kjakcht.--[no. 35] G. Kiakscht.--[no. 36] I. Kloustine.--[no. 37] K. Koulitchevsky.--[no. 38] E. Kouskowa.--[no. 39] M. Konetskaja.-- [no. 40] E. Léer.--[no. 41] E. Legat.--[no. 42] Nicolas Legat.--[no. 43] Serge Legat.--[no. 44] Pierina Legnani.--[no. 45] O. Leonova.--[no. 46] O. Levenson.--[no. 47] N. Litz.--[no. 48] E. Lopouhowa.--[no. 49] S. Loukianow.-- [no. 50] E. Makarove.--[no. 51] E. Makhotina.--[no. 52] N. Matvéewa.--[no. 53] L. Nesterovskaia.--[no. 54] E. Obouchowa.--[no. 55] M. Obouhow.--[no. 56] E. Ofizierove.--[no. 57] A. Ourakowa.--[no. 58] W. Pavlowa.--[no. 59] G. Pedder.-- [no. 60] P. Péréiaslawyew.--[no. 61] M(arie) Petipa.--[no. 62] M(arius) Petipa.--[no. 63] E. Poliakowa.--[no. 64] O. Preobrajenskaia.--[no. 65] S. Repina.--[no. 66] V. Rihliakowa.--[no. 67] O. Rosenfeldt.--[no. 68] L. Roslavlewa.--[no. 69] E. Sasonowa.-- [no. 70] J. Sedova.--[no. 71] N. Sergeiew.--[no. 72] A. Slantzowa.--[no. 73] E. Snetkowa.--[no. 74] W. Soliannikoff.--[no. 75] B. Stoukolkine.--[no. 76] M. Tatarinowa.--[no. 77] E. Tcheketti.--[no. 78] M. Tcheketti.--[no. 79] O. Tchoumakowa.-- [no. 80] T. Tcherniavsky.--[no. 81] W. Tichomiroff.-- [no. 82] A. Waganowa.--[no. 83] A. Wassiliewa.--[no. 84] M. Wolf-Israel.--[no. 85] E. Zabelle.--[no. 86] P. Zalisson