"A Famous School of Dance Has a Birthday"
Times Wide World Photos
United States, active 1919–1941
c. 1929
A gelatin silver photograph capturing students at a well‑known dance school posed outdoors for a birthday celebration, staged to showcase their Grecian tunics and communal movement.
You notice a calm, theatrical tableau—a ring of barefoot children holding hands while older girls and young women in simple, draped costumes stand or sit against a dark stand of trees, the scene balancing innocence and classical poise.
The image illustrates the 1920s fascination with ‘natural’ or modern dance and the role of photography in shaping and promoting new ideas about physical education, performance, and cultural image‑making.
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
4 13/16 × 6 7/8" (12.2 × 17.5 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
The New York Times Collection
Accession
2144.2001
Palette
Exhibitions
