Portraits and Personae:Visions of Female Dancers circa 1730-1840

This paper considers the extent to which female dancers were objectified or professionalised by the images created of them during their lifetimes. To what extent does the catalogue of images attached to a particular dancer suggest a deliberately crafted persona? The case studies considered are: Marie Sallé (1709-1756), whose portraits by Nicholas Lancret and 'L'après-diné - la Dame à la Promenade’ by Jean César Fenouil both appear to reflect of support the dancer's sobriquet of 'La Vestale'. Rose Parisot (fl. 1790s) is depicted as a voluptuous wanton in the satirical prints of her, but she also attracted some serious portraiture (A.W. Devis; John James Masquerier) - including a classical pose as the goddess Hebe (Devis). All of these images appear to capture the particular physicality of this dancer, although the vision projected depends very much on the function of the illustration. Emilie Bigottini (1784-1858), for which a numerous series of images promoting her particular roles at the Paris Opéra (many drawn by the lithographer Godefroy Engelmann) exist; the relative 'institutional' tone of these will be contrasted with the more personal flavour of further portraits on and off stage.