Ballet Class
1889–90
Medium
Lithograph on paper
Dimensions
Image: 20.5 × 26.3 cm (8 1/8 × 10 3/8 in.); Sheet: 39.5 × 56.9 cm (15 9/16 × 22 7/16 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
125965
Art Historical Context
Georges-William Thornley’s *Ballet Class* (1889–90) offers a glimpse into the disciplined world of dance through the medium of lithography. Created on paper with an image size of just over 8 by 10 inches, the print demonstrates lithography’s capacity for soft tonal gradations and fluid lines, qualities that made it ideal for capturing movement and atmosphere in the late nineteenth century. As a reproductive yet artistic print technique, lithography allowed artists like Thornley to reach wider audiences at a time when original paintings remained largely inaccessible to the public. The choice o...