Statement Of Responsibility: composed by F. Cardella and danced nightly by Master Leon of George Christy's Minstrels.
Statement Of Responsibility: Composer's name appears on score as R.F. Cardella.
Biographical/Historical: Francis Leon, who began his career as a blackface minstrel performer at age 14, excelled as a female impersonator. Known as "Leon" or "The Only Leon," he captured the public's attention not only with his performances but with his extensive wardrobe of beautiful dresses, and established the prima donna character as a mainstay in minstrel shows. He is said to have been a serious student of ballet and opera.

Physical Description

Lithographs
Extent: 1 print : lithograph on tinted ground, b&w ; 32 x 25 cm. + music score (3 p.)

Abstract

Sheet music cover illustration depicting a dark-skinned dancer on pointe, costumed in a bell-shaped tutu or ballet skirt topped by a fringed bolero.

Languages

English

Identifiers

RLIN/OCLC: 825070680
NYPL Catalog ID (bnumber): b19758187
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 44bf8b70-b0d1-0133-a131-00505686a51c

Rights

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.

Type Of Resource

Still Image
Notated Music

Date Issued

1861

Cite this item

MLA format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Leon Schottisch" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1861. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/44bf8b70-b0d1-0133-a131-00505686a51c

APA format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. (1861). Leon Schottisch Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/44bf8b70-b0d1-0133-a131-00505686a51c

Chicago/Turabian Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Leon Schottisch" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed January 13, 2026. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/44bf8b70-b0d1-0133-a131-00505686a51c

Wikipedia citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/44bf8b70-b0d1-0133-a131-00505686a51c | title= (still image; notated music) Leon Schottisch (1861) | author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library | accessdate=January 13, 2026 | publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>