Beautés de Paris au Music-Hall.
Paris: Paris Arts Editions, 1931. Folio, 36 Pages, 9.5 x 12.25 inches. Small chip to front wrap else about fine, very good plus overall. Item #List3691
A photographically illustrated book advertising the dancers in Paris in the 1930–1931 season, featuring a full page spread of Josephine Baker at the center of the book, and also showing dancers such as Ariman Banu, the dancers in Un Vent de Folie, Colette Jove, Marie Melsass, and many others. The photographs are all taken by Walery, most in black and white, with heliochromes of Lila Nicolska and Chrysis. As a group the photographs present the dancers in staged studio compositions characteristic of early-1930s Paris music-hall publicity, with all images depicting topless female performers posed individually or in ensemble arrangements. The nudity is framed within the conventions of interwar revue aesthetics, emphasizing choreographic line, sculptural lighting, and ornamental costuming. Walery’s treatment renders the figures with controlled contrast and carefully modeled highlights, situating the images within the long tradition of theatrical glamour photography. Several plates present dancers adorned with elaborate headdresses, jewelry, or draped textiles that accentuate rather than conceal the torso, reflecting the style of the Casino de Paris and related venues during the 1930–1931 season.
OCLC 469353050, locating a single copy at the Librarie Nationale de France. One copy appearing in commerce, at Heritage Auctions in 2020 (Sold for $690).
Price: $750.00