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Items Polkamania

Polkamania

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Library division & collection with this item:

LIBRARY DIVISION
Jerome Robbins Dance Division

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COLLECTION
Prints depicting dance

View as book

SUB-COLLECTION
Theatrical dancers, singly or in pairs

View as book

This Item

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Title
Polkamania
Additional title: Leçon chez Cellarius
Names
Vernier, Charles, 1831-1887 (Artist)
Collection

Prints depicting dance

Theatrical dancers, singly or in pairs

Dates / Origin
Date Issued: 1840 - 1849 (Approximate)
Table of Contents
La polkamanie: La leçon chez Cellarius [hand-colored lithograph]; Paris, Aubert / [signed on stone by the artist] Ch[arles] Vernier -- La polkamanie: La leçon chez Cellarius [b&w lithograph]; Le Charivari / [signed on stone] Ch[arles] Vernier -- La polka [b&w engraving]; with English text -- La polka [b&w engraving]; with French text.
Library locations
Jerome Robbins Dance Division
Shelf locator: *MGZFX Pol 3-6
Topics
Polka (Dance)
Dancers -- Caricatures and cartoons
Ballroom dancing
Genres
Prints
Illustrations
Notes
Title devised by cataloger.
Funding: La polkamanie: La leçon chez Cellarius [hand-colored lithograph] was purchased with funds from the Committee for the Jerome Robbins Dance Division.
Acquisition: La polkamanie: La leçon chez Cellarius, from Le Charivari Gift; Lillian Moore.
Acquisition: La polka [2 engravings] Gift; Lincoln Kirstein.
Acquisition: La polkamanie: La leçon chez Cellarius [hand-colored lithograph] Purchase; Norman Crider, 1970.
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.
Biographical/historical: The French printmaker and painter Charles Vernier was particularly famous for his caricatures and cartoons, many of which were published in the satirical journal Le Charivari, an illustrated newspaper published in Paris from 1833 to 1937.
Physical Description
Extent: 1 print : lithograph, hand-colored ; 35 x 28 cm.
Extent: 1 print : lithograph, b&w ; 38 x 26 cm.
Extent: 2 prints : engraving, b&w ; 22 x 18 cm.
Description
Three prints of the same image by the artist Charles Vernier, issued in various formats: a hand-colored plate from a series, an illustration in a satirical journal, and a book illustration. The image represents a portly man dancing with a slender woman. The plate and the journal illustration bear the series title La polkamanie and the individual print title La leçon chez Cellarius, followed by a brief dialogue: "[Man:] Saperlotte!-- que c'est donc fatigant de sauter comme ça!-- surtout, quand comme vous, mademoiselle, on n'en fait pas son état!-- [Woman:] Que voulez-vous-- toute la polka est là-- et puis il est toujours très utile d'apprendre à bien lever le pied-- n'êtes-vous pas agent-de-change?" The book illustration, captioned La polka, is an unsigned engraved version of Vernier's lithograph, possibly made by a different artist. It includes instructions in English for the dance movement. Also included in this collection is a related unsigned engraving, also captioned La polka and similar in size and format. It depicts a different couple in a somewhat strenuous dance movement, followed by a humorous exchange in French.
Type of Resource
Still image
Languages
French
English
Identifiers
RLIN/OCLC: 825120715
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b19758983
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 97f3d8a0-89be-0134-f239-00505686a51c
Rights Statement
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.

Item timeline of events

  • 1831: Creator Born
  • 1840: Issued (Approximate)
  • 1887: Creator Died
  • 2019: Digitized
  • 2024: Found by you!
  • 2025

MLA Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Polkamania" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1840 - 1849. https://qa-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/67939ba0-8cc7-0134-f340-00505686a51c

Chicago/Turabian Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Polkamania" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed November 25, 2024. https://qa-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/67939ba0-8cc7-0134-f340-00505686a51c

APA Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. (1840 - 1849). Polkamania Retrieved from https://qa-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/67939ba0-8cc7-0134-f340-00505686a51c

Wikipedia Citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://qa-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/67939ba0-8cc7-0134-f340-00505686a51c | title= (still image) Polkamania, (1840 - 1849) |author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library |accessdate=November 25, 2024 |publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>

Polkamania