Pointe shoe worn by Tamara Karsavina as the Young Girl in Mikhail Fokine's ballet Les Papillons, 1914. Signed and dedicated to Cyril Beaumont.

Pointe shoe worn by Tamara Karsavina as the Young Girl in Mikhail Fokine's ballet Les Papillons, 1914. Pink satin pointe shoe, undarned, with ribbons removed and traces of ribbon across vamp. Size 12C, sole scored. Made by Niccolini (sic). Inscribed on inner sole: "A Monsieur Cyril Beaumont / Thamar Karsavina / le 25 Juillet 1914 / "Les Papillons".

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 Tamara Karsavina in Mikhail Fokine's ballet Les Papillons, which was premiered by the Diaghilev Ballets Russes in Paris in 1914 and first seen in London later that year. The 'Papillons' of the title refer to the butterfly episode in Carnaval, the girls pursued by Pierrot, but in trapping one of them, he is the cause of her 'death'. Although a relative trifle, the ballet endured for several seasons as a useful programme builder and Beaumont much admired Karsavina in the leading role, especially the moment at the end where she raised her mask and smiled at Pierrot - the moment he realises that what was for him a reality was for her a merely playful 'conceit'.
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 Italian 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 artefacts, 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 drudgery 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 recipient, implying that the recipient was with the dancer at the time, attains almost iconic significance for balletomanes.

S.269-1979