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Items Dances of French Polynesia in prints

Dances of French Polynesia in prints

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Library division & collection with this item:

LIBRARY DIVISION
Jerome Robbins Dance Division

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COLLECTION
Prints depicting dance

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SUB-COLLECTION
Theatrical dancers, singly or in pairs

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Title
Dances of French Polynesia in prints
Additional title: Habit of a young woman of Otaheite dancing
Additional title: Dance in Otaheite
Names
Sherwin, J. K. (John Keyse), 1751-1790 (Associated name)
Webber, John, 1751-1793 (Artist)
Cook, James, 1728-1779 (Associated name)
Lafond de Lurcy, Gabriel, 1802-1876 (Associated name)
Hogg, Alexander, fl. 1778-1819 (Publisher)
Collection

Prints depicting dance

Theatrical dancers, singly or in pairs

Dates / Origin
Date Issued: 1790 - 1849 (Approximate)
Table of Contents
Habit of a young woman of Otaheite dancing / Noble sculp. -- A dance in Otaheite / Webber del. ; Heath sculp. -- An exact representation of a dance in Otaheite; London, Alex[ande]r Hogg / Webber delin. ; Lodge sculp. -- Representation of a dance, in the island of Ulietea -- Les Marquises, Danse caracteristique; Paris, Drouart; [captioned at lower right] Voyage auteur du monde et naufrages célèbres / de Villiers sculp. -- Nouka-Hiva, Mascarades des naturels; Paris, Drouart / Villiers sculp.
Library locations
Jerome Robbins Dance Division
Shelf locator: *MGZFX Fre 1-6
Topics
Dance -- French Polynesia -- Tahiti (Island)
Dance -- French Polynesia -- Raiatea
Dance -- French Polynesia -- Marquesas Islands
Dance -- French Polynesia -- Nuka Hiva
Genres
Prints
Notes
Title devised by cataloger.
Stamped on the verso of the print captioned Habit of a young woman of Otaheite dancing: Stead Coll.
Acquisition: A dance in Otaheite Gift; Lillian Moore.
Acquisition: Les Marquises, Nouka-Hiva Gift; Lincoln Kirstein.
Biographical/historical: The three prints depicting dances of Otaheite are copies of engravings by J.K. Sherwin after John Webber, the official artist on Captain James Cook's third voyage to the Pacific Ocean. Sherwin's engravings were published in 1784 in Voyage to the Pacific Ocean ... 1776-1780. Noble's engraving of "Habit of a young woman of Otaheite dancing" and Heath's engraving of "A dance in Otaheite" reverse the images seen in Sherwin's prints. "An exact representation of a dance in Otaheite," engraved by Lodge after Webber, copies Sherwin's print with differences in drawing.
Biographical/historical: The prints labeled Les Marquises and Nouka-Hiva are apparently illustrations to Gabriel Lafond de Lurcy's Voyages autour du monde et naufrages célèbres, first published in Paris in 1843-1844.
Physical Description
Engravings
Etchings
Extent: 4 prints : engraving, etching, b&w ; 23 x 35 cm. or smaller.
Extent: 2 prints : etching, hand-colored ; 16 x 25 cm.
Description
Representations of dances from the islands of French Polynesia, including Otaheite (Tahiti), Ulietea (Raiatea, in the Society Islands), Les Marquises (the Marquesas Islands), and Nouka-Hiva (Nuka Hiva, the largest of the Marquesas). The depictions of Otaheite include a single figure of a female dancer, and two versions of a dance by a pair of standing female dancers, each with a male dancer squatting beside her. The dance scene from Ulietea centers on two female dancers in elaborate costumes, accompanied by male musicians playing the nose-flute and drums. The shadowy figure at far left may be playing a gourd instrument, or perhaps offering liquid refreshment. The print captioned "Danse caracterisque" from the Marquesas depicts a tattooed couple dancing together. "Nouka-Hiva, Mascarades des naturels" portrays a procession of figures in fanciful masks and costumes, watched by two women.
Type of Resource
Still image
Languages
English
French
Identifiers
RLIN/OCLC: 825551228
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b19759755
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): b9b80e00-ed3c-0133-8a30-00505686a51c
Rights Statement
The New York Public Library believes that this item is in the public domain under the laws of the United States, but did not make a determination as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. This item may not be in the public domain under the laws of other countries. Though not required, if you want to credit us as the source, please use the following statement, "From The New York Public Library," and provide a link back to the item on our Digital Collections site. Doing so helps us track how our collection is used and helps justify freely releasing even more content in the future.

Item timeline of events

  • 1751: Creator Born
  • 1790: Creator Died
  • 1790: Issued (Approximate)
  • 2019: Digitized
  • 2024: Found by you!
  • 2025

MLA Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Dances of French Polynesia in prints" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1790 - 1849. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/85ab69c0-f05e-0133-c932-00505686a51c

Chicago/Turabian Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Dances of French Polynesia in prints" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 20, 2024. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/85ab69c0-f05e-0133-c932-00505686a51c

APA Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. (1790 - 1849). Dances of French Polynesia in prints Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/85ab69c0-f05e-0133-c932-00505686a51c

Wikipedia Citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/85ab69c0-f05e-0133-c932-00505686a51c | title= (still image) Dances of French Polynesia in prints, (1790 - 1849) |author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library |accessdate=April 20, 2024 |publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>

Dances of French Polynesia in prints