Legat Caricatures

[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

[rg]

two more legat plates:

M.F. Kshessinska

P. Legnani

[rg]

Marius Petipa & Marie Petipa

[rg]

Lev Ivanov & Enrico Cecchetti

[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.

[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

[rg]

in the NYPL entry regarding it's Legat caricatures it has the following 'donor' credit:

Gift of the estate of Laurent Novikoff.

[moya vahey]

I would like to send you some photos drawings and caricatures but do not know what to put in the URL.

I have the photos on disk.

Moya

[rg]

it would seem you don't yet have presonal message options.

if you could send your email to one of the board's managers it would be forwarded to me.