Point shoe worn by Lubov Tchernicheva. Signed and dated 1919.

Pink satin point shoe, undarned, with ribbons attached. Size 13, with scored sole, made by Gamba. Inscribed on inner sole: "Lubov Tchernicheva / London 1919"

Cyril W. Beaumont Bequest

One of a collection of signed ballet shoes given by various dancers to the dance critic and historian Cyril Beaumont.
The shoe was worn by the Russian ballerina Lubov Tchernicheva with the Diaghilev Ballets Russes during the company's London seasons of 1919 when they appeared at the Alhambra Theatre and then at the Empire. It is notable that by this period the Russian dancers were turning to English ballet shoe makers because of wartime and post-war difficulties in obtaining shoes from Paris and Italy.
The soles of ballet shoes were often scored, either by the manufacturer or the dancers, to give improved grip on stage.
The shoe came to the Museum as part of the Cyril Beaumont Bequest.

Historical significance: An example of an English ballet shoe of the first quarter of the 20th century. Ballet shoes made in different countries are indicative of the different needs of the dancers and the choreography of the time.
The ballet shoe is the most personal of dance aretfacts, as each dancer is responsible for darning and stitching on the ribbons to suit her own personal preferences and each dancer 'wears' out the shoe in a different way, according to her physique and the role. The dancer darning shoes is a potent image in 20th century dance iconography, a symbol of at once her drugery and humility.
A shoe worn by a great dancer in a particular role on a certain night (such as a premiere) and signed, dated, and dedicated to the recepient, implying that the recepient was with the dancer at the time, attains almost iconic significance for balletomanes.

S.799-1981