Vintage 1942-43 Ballet Theatre Program w Alicia Markova Marc Chagall Costumes

This original Ballet Theatre program dates to the 1942-1943 season, issued during the middle of the Second World War for the company’s coast-to-coast American tour under the management of S. Hurok. Richly illustrated throughout, the program documents one of the most important ballet companies active in America during the war years and features many legendary dancers and choreographers associated with the Russian ballet tradition.

Particularly notable are the pages devoted to Aleko, with costume and scenic designs by Marc Chagall. The program also includes portraits, production stills, and biographical material relating to Alicia Markova, a British dancer considered one of the greatest ballerinas of the 20th century, Irina Baronova, Anton Dolin, Nora Kaye, Lucia Chase, Annabelle Lyon, Yura Skibine, and many others. Choreographers represented include Michel Fokine, Leonide Massine, Antony Tudor, Agnes de Mille, and Bronislava Nijinska.

The visual presentation is exceptionally stylish and very much of the wartime Art Deco / early 1940s period, with dramatic photography, fashion and perfume advertisements, and colourful illustrated pages throughout. A fascinating surviving document of wartime ballet and theatre culture in America.

The program consists of 52 pages plus covers and measures 9 1/8" by 12 1/8".

Condition:

The program remains in very good condition overall. There is a tiny area of surface paper loss to the back cover, visible from both the interior and exterior, as shown in the photographs. Some minor edge and corner wear to the covers. Interior pages remain clean and well preserved overall.

A beautiful and increasingly difficult to find Ballet Theatre / Ballet Russe era program with strong Marc Chagall interest and outstanding visual appeal.