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Pointe shoes

Shoes
mid 20th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Pair of 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
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Shoes
  • Shoes
TitlePointe shoes (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Satin, hessian, leather, glue, string, ribbon and canvas
Brief description
Pair of black pointe shoes made by Arthur Franks, London

Physical description
Pair of black satin ballet pointe shoes with an inserted section of black ribbon to extend the vamp. The drawstring is white and the ribbons have been cut off.
Dimensions
  • Length of shoe length: 20cm
  • Side of shoe, measured at back height: 6cm
  • Length of vamp with added ribbon length: 7.5cm
Credit line
Cyril W. Beaumont Bequest
Summary
Pair of 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.926:1, 2-2021

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Record createdAugust 18, 2021
Record URL
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