Pointe shoe worn by Violetta Elvin as La Favorita in Andrée Howard's ballet Veneziana, Sadler's Wells (now Royal) Ballet, 1953. Signed and inscribed.

Pointe shoe worn by Violetta Elvin as La Favorita in the ballet Veneziana Sadler's Wells Ballet, 1953. Pink satin pointe shoe worn on the left foot, undarned with pink satin ribbons backed by cotton tape attached. Size 3 1/2 T, with scored soles made by Frederick Freed. Inscribed on inner side: "Violetta Elvin" and on sole "Elvin / Veneziana".

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-born dancer Violetta Elvin as La Favorita in Andree Howard's ballet "Veneziana", premiered by the Sadler's Wells (now Royal) Ballet in 1953.
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 mid-20th century ballet shoe. 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.273A-1979