Page of a sketch book showing a preliminary sketch of The Good- Humoured Ladies, Diaghilev Ballets Russes. Sketch by Valentine Gross, ca. 1919.

Diaghilev Ballets Russes Good-Humoured Ladies (Le Femme de Bonne Humeur) was first premiered in Rome at Teatro Constanzi on 12 April 1917, according to Diaghilev and The Golden Age of The Ballets Russes 1909 - 1929, edited by Jane Pritchard, first published by V&A Publishing in 2010. It is possible that Valentine Gross saw this production in Paris in December 1919 or January 1920 at Théâtre de l'Opera or 1920 at Théâtre des Champs-Elyéese.

The sketches are part of the Valentine Gross Archive (THM/165), held by the V&A Department of Theatre and Performance. Valentine Gross Archive contains research material and artwork, including sketches, studies, drawings, pastels and illustrations. Only the artwork materials have been catalogued with museum numbers and given item level descriptions found in the Search the Collections webpage.

Valentine Gross, a.k.a. Valentine Hugo, was a French art student in Paris in the 1910s. She became a ballet enthusiast, illustrator, researcher and painter. Valentine Gross witnessed annual seasons of Diaghilev Ballets Russes in Paris and made preminary sketches during performances and rehearsals between 1909 and 1919. She later worked them up into pencil or coloured drawings of various degrees of finish including illustrations and paintings.

Some of the sketches feature in the book Nijinsky on Stage by Richard Buckle, published in London by Studio Vista in 1971. However, Nijinsky did not dance in the Good-Humoured Ladies, there none of the sketched of this dance do not feature in the book.