Girl Dancing

Founder Cast by Roman Bronze Works
1897; cast ca. 1906
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 731
In her statuettes of solitary female figures, Vonnoh explored the rhythm of movement and the play of drapery over forms. "Girl Dancing" presents a fashionable young woman in a high-waisted gown stepping forward in a bowing posture. This dancer may possibly be part of a quadrille, a dance popular in the nineteenth century that was performed by couples in a square formation. The statuette is in keeping with the genteel turn-of-the century expectation that well-bred women occupy themselves by reading, playing music, or dancing.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Girl Dancing
  • Artist: Bessie Potter Vonnoh (American, St. Louis, Missouri 1872–1955 New York)
  • Founder: Cast by Roman Bronze Works
  • Date: 1897; cast ca. 1906
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Dimensions: 14 x 12 x 8 in. (35.6 x 30.5 x 20.3 cm)
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1906
  • Object Number: 06.305
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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