Statement Of Responsibility: by various authors, as danced by the pupils of Monsr. Ernest and other distinguished & fashionable circles.
Content: On score: The New Orleans polka, as danced by the pupils of Madam Arraline Brooks, arranged for the Piano Forte & dedicated to Miss Mary Trabue, by F.J. Webster.
Acquisition: Gift; Lillian Moore.
Biographical/Historical: This print reproduces an image originally published as a hand-colored lithograph by Desmaisons after Guérard in 1844 as part of the series Les annales de l'Opéra. It depicts the ballerina Adèle Dumilatre performing the polka at the Paris Opéra.
Biographical/Historical: The polka enjoyed enormous popularity both as a dance and a musical form. Although opinions about its origins differ, it is believed to have roots in Poland or Bohemia. It was brought to Prague in 1837 and made its way to Vienna, St. Petersburg, Paris, and London. Capitalizing on its growing popularity as a ballroom dance, Jules Perrot and Carlotta Grisi introduced it to the ballet stage in 1844. In the mid 1800s, it rivalled the waltz as a dance craze. It has survived into the twenty-first century, and until 2009 was included as a category in the Grammy Awards.

Physical Description

Extent: 1 print : steel engraving, b&w ; 34 x 28 cm., image 9 x 8 cm. + music score (3 p.)

Abstract

Sheet music cover illustration depicting a female dancer in an outdoor setting.

Identifiers

RLIN/OCLC: 825120324
Publisher's music plate number: 944 : W.C. Peters
NYPL Catalog ID (bnumber): b19758954
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 91cf6150-89be-0134-c35d-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

1846

Cite this item

MLA format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Ballroom polkas" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1846. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/91cf6150-89be-0134-c35d-00505686a51c

APA format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. (1846). Ballroom polkas Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/91cf6150-89be-0134-c35d-00505686a51c

Chicago/Turabian Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Ballroom polkas" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed November 9, 2025. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/91cf6150-89be-0134-c35d-00505686a51c

Wikipedia citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/91cf6150-89be-0134-c35d-00505686a51c | title= (still image; notated music) Ballroom polkas (1846) | author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library | accessdate=November 9, 2025 | publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>