Not on display

We don’t have an image of this object online yet.

More about images

V&A Images may have a photograph that we can’t show online, but it may be possible to supply one to you. Email us at vaimages@vam.ac.uk for guidance about fees and timescales, quoting the accession number: S.924-2021

Pointe shoe

Shoe
mid 20th century (made)
Artist/Maker

One of the ballet shoes collected by Cyril W. Beaumont.

Cyril Beaumont (1891-1976) was one of the most important figures on the 20th century British ballet scene. As dance historian, publisher, critic and bookseller, he helped establish the credibility of dance as a historical study in Britain, both in his own work and in his publishing programme. He was also responsible for the recording and preserving of the Cecchetti system of teaching. His subjects ranged from the Diaghilev Ballet (Diaghilev allowed him access to backstage), studies on Swan Lake and Giselle, bibliographies, and his monumental Complete Book of Ballets and its various supplements, describing ballets from the 18th to the mid 20th centuries.

In addition to shoes signed by dancers, Beaumont's collection includes unsigned specimens that show how dancers cared for their footwear.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitlePointe shoe (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Satin, hessian, leather, glue, tape and ribbon
Brief description
Pink pointe ballet shoe showing darning at the toe
Physical description
Pink satin ballet pointe shoe showing care for the shoe. The toe is darned with thread and the pink ribbons are supported underneath with white tape in the section closest to the shoe.

Dimensions
  • Length of shoe length: 21cm
  • Side of shoe, measured at back height: 7cm
  • Length of vamp length: 6.5cm
Credit line
Cyril W. Beaumont Bequest
Summary
One of the ballet shoes collected by Cyril W. Beaumont.

Cyril Beaumont (1891-1976) was one of the most important figures on the 20th century British ballet scene. As dance historian, publisher, critic and bookseller, he helped establish the credibility of dance as a historical study in Britain, both in his own work and in his publishing programme. He was also responsible for the recording and preserving of the Cecchetti system of teaching. His subjects ranged from the Diaghilev Ballet (Diaghilev allowed him access to backstage), studies on Swan Lake and Giselle, bibliographies, and his monumental Complete Book of Ballets and its various supplements, describing ballets from the 18th to the mid 20th centuries.

In addition to shoes signed by dancers, Beaumont's collection includes unsigned specimens that show how dancers cared for their footwear.

Collection
Accession number
S.924-2021

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdAugust 18, 2021
Record URL
Download as: JSON