Before the Ballet Class
1889–90
Medium
Lithograph in black on paper
Dimensions
Image: 27.1 × 22.3 cm (10 11/16 × 8 13/16 in.); Sheet: 56.8 × 39.7 cm (22 3/8 × 15 11/16 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
125968
Art Historical Context
Visitors to the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings department delight in *Before the Ballet Class*, lithograph in black on paper by French artist Georges-William Thornley, dating from 1889–90. Capturing the poised anticipation of dancers preparing for rehearsal, this intimate scene reflects the late 19th-century fascination with ballet culture in Paris, where the Opéra Ballet symbolized grace, discipline, and everyday artistry. Thornley's masterful use of lithography—a planographic printing technique invented in the late 18th century—allowed for fluid, expressive lines and subtle ...